Europe is strengthening its security, but could not defend itself without US help

Europe is not ready to defend itself without the help of the United States, but European countries are making great efforts to strengthen their capabilities, Lithuania’s Ambassador to the European Union (EU) Arnoldas Pranckevičius says.

“Could the EU today defend itself on its own if the EU-US partnership ends? My answer is very clear: no. But is Europe today paying much more attention to defence? Certainly yes,” the ambassador told the LRT public radio on Tuesday.

Pranckevičius also highlighted the importance of the EU in ensuring regional security.

“The EU tries to do as much as possible by itself. And I see the EU’s role here as a complementary, value-added role, because after all both the capabilities and the budgets are those of the [NATO – ELTA] member states,” he said.

In the Munich Security Conference last weekend, Lithuania Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis expressed doubts that Europe can defend itself without the US help, the LRT news website writes.