The efforts to build a iron alliance in support of the security of Ukraine have intensified. This was assured on Wednesday the British Minister of Defense, John Healeyat a press conference in Paris after meeting with their counterparts from France, Germany, Italy and Poland, apart from Spain. “We are cooperating closely with allied nations and we seek to form a coalition of those arranged from Europe and beyond. We are accelerating that work,” said Healey, just before announcing a new meeting with more European leaders for next Saturday.
The meeting, which brought together the main European defense ministers, aimed to coordinate efforts to strengthen military support to Ukraine at a key moment of conflict with Russia. The discussion also revolved around the need to optimize the mechanisms for acquiring military equipment, an aspect that the German Defense head, Boris Pistoriushe stressed as fundamental for the safety of the continent.
“Europe needs a much more unified approach in the acquisition of military equipment. We cannot allow ourselves to waste time in unnecessary bureaucracy,” Pistorius said during the meeting. “We don’t have that time, it’s superfluous and expensive”He added, in an evening criticism of the administrative processes that slow down the reinforcement of European defensive capacity.
The German position coincides with the growing concern among European allies about the effectiveness of armament acquisition and production systems. The war in Ukraine has revealed the difficulties of the continent to respond quickly to the needs of a high intensity conflict. In this context, European leaders seek to expedite military cooperation and strengthening mechanisms without depending exclusively on the United States.
For his part, the French Defense Minister, Sébastien LecornuHe revealed that around 15 countries have shown interest in discussing a new security architecture for Ukraine. “This is an initiative that seeks to structure long -term support, both in terms of weapons and territorial security,” Lecornu explained after the meeting.
The concept of a “new security architecture” for Ukraine suggests that Europe already studies more concrete measures to guarantee the stability of the country beyond the conflict. This approach could include bilateral or multilateral defense commitments, as well as a reinforcement of the integration of Ukraine into European security structures.
Meanwhile, France seeks how to increase its defense expenditure without compromising its financial stability. The President Emmanuel Macron It has proposed to raise the investment in defense from 2 % to 3 or 3.5 % of GDP, which would mean an annual increase of at least 30,000 million euros. However, the Minister of Finance, Eric Lombardhas warned that these increases should adjust to deficit reduction plans, which is currently 5.4 % of GDP and that the Government intends to reduce to 3 % in 2029.
“Given our current budget context, these new funds can only be implemented within our deficit reduction plans,” Lombard said before the Senate.
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