The defense ministers of five major European countries have called for continued support for Ukraine, as fears grow about the influence of US President-elect Donald Trump, Politico reports, UNN writes.
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After a meeting of the defense ministers of Germany, France, Italy, Poland, and the United Kingdom in Berlin, all ministers reportedly insisted on the need to continue providing military assistance to Ukraine, with British Defense Secretary John Healey even calling for a "doubling" of support.
"The five of us want to keep [the Contact Group for the Defense of Ukraine]," said German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, referring to the US-led group that organizes military assistance to Ukraine.
"Trump's name was not mentioned, but his presence was palpable, as European countries are expected to try their best to keep him in their good graces," the newspaper points out.
"Europe will have to act in an even more coordinated manner with more common goals to be a good partner for the United States," said Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysh.
The German and French defense ministers also said that it is not how much NATO countries spend on weapons and ammunition that matters, but how they spend it.
"Regardless of whether the [defense] budget increases to 2, 2.5 or 3 percent, we need to close the capability gaps, that's the most important thing," Pistorius said.
Meeting NATO's capability requirements will require increased spending: "We will probably be talking about more than 2 percent, everybody knows that," he added.
Pistorius hosted his colleagues in a new format, which the British Defense Secretary called "E5.
France and Germany have reached NATO's spending target of at least 2 percent of GDP this year, while Italy is still falling short. The United Kingdom has exceeded the threshold, and Poland, with 4.1 percent of GDP, has the highest spending in NATO.
There is a growing consensus that the 2 percent target should be raised, especially after the election of Donald Trump. A top NATO commander told the publication that 3 percent is likely to be the new benchmark.
Paris is "increasing its defense budget, but the question is: how can we use this money in the most effective way to develop military capabilities?" - said French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu.
He mentioned the European Long Range Strike Approach (ELSA), which brings together five countries represented in Berlin and Sweden to develop a new cruise missile, as an example of how Europeans are trying to close capability gaps.
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