EU Commissioner Warns Russian Defense Spending Approaches European Levels

(MENAFN) European Union Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius warned Tuesday that Russia is preparing to allocate nearly as much money to its military next year as European countries combined, when spending is measured using purchasing power parity.

“Russian military potential is not diminishing,” Kubilius warned during a panel discussion at the Berlin Security Conference. “If you calculate in purchasing power parity terms, Russia is ready to spend almost the same amount that we Europeans are going to spend next year, around €500 billion ($559 billion).”

He emphasized the importance of developing Europe's defense capabilities within NATO, arguing that European countries should prioritize military areas where they currently lack sufficient resources or capacity. His remarks came amid a shift in US strategic attention toward the Indo-Pacific region.

“Americans will pay more and more attention towards the Indo-Pacific region. And that is what we need to have in mind when we are talking about what capabilities we need to develop here on the European continent,” he said.

Kubilius also stressed that efforts by the EU to expand its military capabilities should complement NATO's role rather than compete with the alliance.

“There really is no competition between the European Union and NATO,” he said. “NATO is a military might, EU is an economic power. And our task is how to combine these two strengths into European defense capabilities which should deter Russia,” he added.

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