Lithuanian defence minister: EU defence capabilities 'not matching' Russia's speed

Amid increasing concerns over the EU's defence capabilities, Lithuania's defence minister has emphasised the bloc's under-preparedness.

Transcript

00:00NATO allies are meeting today to understand the implications of the Trump administration's

00:05announcement that the U.S. will no longer prioritize European and Ukrainian security.

00:13Washington has said NATO membership for Ukraine is unrealistic, and that Ukrainian aspirations

00:19of returning to pre-2014 borders were also unlikely.

00:24The Lithuanian defense minister told Euronews that NATO is now at a very difficult moment,

00:29given the slow nature of Europe's defense capabilities.

00:36I think we are in the beginning of a very difficult process, where we will have to find

00:43the specific ways to generate strength.

00:47What is a good part of the message is that peace through strength was reiterated all

00:54around the world.

00:55What does that mean, though, if you've just weakened Ukraine's position?

00:58As I said, I think we are in the beginning of a difficult conversation.

01:02And one of the elements which is going to be critical, and as I understand also there

01:07is an agreement in the room that it's necessary, is our own capabilities.

01:13Because how can we sustainably help Ukraine if our own defense capabilities are being

01:20developed slower than that of the aggressor?

01:24The size of Ukrainian army and the size of our defense industry, of our own defense capabilities,

01:34they are not matching the speed of Russian military industry, of Russian transition from

01:43peacetime to wartime economy, of Russian assembly of troops at quite a threatening speed.

01:50So therefore, yeah, I agree with that.

01:53Maybe in the beginning of conversation we have to agree that strength is not on paper.

01:58Strength is on the ground.

01:59It's our troops.

02:00It's our weapons.

02:01It's our defense industry.