US representatives told European allies that they want them to continue buying US-made weapons amid recent moves by the European Union to restrict the participation of US manufacturers in arms tenders, citing five sources familiar with the matter, Reuters reports, UNN writes.
Details
The messages released by Washington in recent weeks come at a time when the EU is taking steps to develop the European arms industry, while potentially limiting the purchase of certain types of US weapons.
Early foreign policy steps by the Trump administration, including a brief cut in military aid to Ukraine and a loosening of pressure on Moscow, deeply upset European allies, prompting many to ask whether the United States is a reliable partner, the publication writes.
In mid-March, the European Commission, the EU's executive body, proposed increasing military spending and pooling resources for joint defense projects, amid expectations in Europe that the US military involvement would decrease under President Donald Trump.
Experts say that some of the proposed measures may mean a smaller role for companies that are not members of the EU, including those based in the US and Great Britain.
At a meeting on March 25, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the foreign ministers of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia that the United States wants to continue participating in the defense procurement of EU countries, Reuters sources said.
According to two sources, Rubio said that any exclusion of American companies from European tenders would be perceived negatively by Washington, which the two sources interpreted as a reference to the proposed EU rules.
One Northern European diplomat, who was not involved in the Baltic meeting, said that US officials recently told them that any exclusion from EU arms procurement would be considered inappropriate.
Rubio plans to discuss expectations that EU countries will continue to buy American weapons during his visit to Brussels this week, where he will participate in a meeting of NATO foreign ministers, a senior US State Department official said.
"This is an issue that the Secretary of State has raised and will raise," the official said.
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A US State Department spokesman said that Trump welcomes the recent efforts of European allies to "strengthen their defense capabilities and take responsibility for their own security", but warned against creating new barriers that exclude American companies from European defense projects.
"Transatlantic defense-industrial cooperation makes the Alliance stronger," the spokesman said.
US concerns about arms procurement restrictions reflect the tension at the heart of the Trump administration's European policy, the publication notes.
Trump has called on European allies to spend more on defense and take more responsibility for their own security. While this is being done, the EU is seeking to expand its own production in light of the US president's assumptions that his commitment to NATO is not absolute, the publication points out.
This, as noted, contradicts another goal of the Trump administration, which is to open foreign markets to US manufacturers.
The European Commission's defense proposal in mid-March, called ReArm Europe, included a plan to borrow €150 billion ($162 billion) to provide loans to EU governments for defense projects.
Many EU governments say they favor a more pan-European approach to defense. But how this will work is likely to be the subject of fierce debate - who should have the power to decide on joint projects, who should manage them and how they should be financed, the publication writes.
Although the European Commission insists that companies outside the EU can compete for defense funds under the proposed plan, arms manufacturers outside the bloc, as noted, will in practice face a number of practical and administrative obstacles.
The Trump administration, like previous administrations, has insisted on the purchase of US weapons by Europeans before, including at this year's Munich Security Conference. Some sources believe that the latest reports from Washington are a continuation of US policy.
Nevertheless, several sources said that the US emphasis on this issue has intensified in recent weeks, as the EU has resolutely set about separating its arms purchases.
"They are upset with the ReArm proposal and that the US is excluded," said one senior European source.