EU Defense Commissioner Kubilius urges NATO to move military goals 14 years ahead due Russian threat

He made this statement at the 20th anniversary of the European Defense Agency in Brussels, as reported by Radio Liberty.

"I expect the Parliament and the European Council to swiftly reach an agreement on EDIP – the European Defense Industry Program. This will help increase production. NATO's targets must be achieved no later than 2030 instead of the planned 2044," Kubilius emphasized.

He also referred to statements by European intelligence agencies warning that if no action is taken, Russia could be ready for military confrontation with the EU and NATO within five years.

According to the Defense Commissioner, Russia's economy is already operating at full capacity, and in 2025, Moscow will allocate 40% of its federal budget to defense and security, which equates to 9% of GDP.

Meanwhile, EU countries spent an average of 1.9% of GDP on defense last year.

Kubilius also stressed the need to mobilize finances according to defense needs.

"If we do not understand this, Putin does. He told his armed forces, 'We have no financial constraints.' We can no longer afford a fragmented, incremental approach. We need a 'big bang' approach to increase defense production," he stated.

• Earlier, the head of the special staff for Ukraine at Germany's Ministry of Defense, Major General Christian Freuding, expressed the belief that the Russian army could restore its forces within five years, enabling it to carry out any aggression against NATO territory.