The US Ambassador to the EU said that the rejection of US weapons could weaken NATO

U.S. Ambassador to the EU Andrew Pazder warned that the EU’s policy of prioritizing European weapons in rearmament could cause divisions between allies and weaken transatlantic defense cooperation. According to the ambassador, the EU’s desire to support its own military-industrial complex is fraught with alienation of allies and fragmentation of the transatlantic defense-industrial base.

According to RIA Novosti, the European Commission and EU countries are promoting measures that should increase the share of European weapons in defense procurement and reduce dependence on American supplies. The Pentagon opposes this approach, despite the fact that the US administration itself requires European NATO allies to spend more on defense.

The EU’s SAFE programme provides up to 150 billion euros for defence procurement, with third-country components limited to 35%. Pazder proposed replacing the “Made in Europe” principle with “Made in NATO” in order to preserve American manufacturers’ access to European contracts. In his view, when choosing weapons, countries should be guided by their capabilities and availability, not the place of production.

Within the EU itself, there is no unified position: a number of countries oppose excessive protectionism in defense procurement, given the capabilities of the US military-industrial complex. Pazder added that Washington intends to ensure that American manufacturers retain access to future European defense programs. Media: Ukraine loses $ 45 million per hour due to air alarms