US puts pressure on EU over arms purchases – media

Details of the incident were disclosed to Reuters by five sources familiar with the situation, Ukrinform reports.

In mid-March, the European Commission proposed increasing military spending and channeling resources into joint defense initiatives as the EU prepares for a reduction in the U.S. military presence on the continent under President Donald Trump. Some of the proposed measures could include easing sanctions on companies from non-EU countries, including the U.S. and Britain, experts say.

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the foreign ministers of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia at a meeting on March 25 that the United States is seeking to continue participating in EU defense procurement, the sources said. Rubio stressed that any exclusion of U.S. companies from European tenders would be viewed negatively in Washington, they added.

Rubio also plans to discuss the issue during a visit to Brussels this week, where he will attend a meeting of NATO foreign ministers, a senior State Department official said.

He added that Trump supported recent efforts by European allies to strengthen their defense capabilities, but warned against creating barriers that could exclude American companies from EU projects.

In mid-March, the European Commission unveiled the ReArm Eure defence programme, which will raise €150 billion to finance defence projects in EU countries. Although the Commission says non-EU companies can apply for these projects, arms manufacturers from outside the bloc will in fact face a number of practical and administrative barriers.

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At the same time, US attention to the issue has increased in recent weeks as the EU has become more determined to ignore further US arms purchases, several sources said.

As reported by Ukrinform, French President Emmanuel Macron is seeking to persuade other EU countries to stop purchasing military equipment from the US and instead look to European weapons.

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At the same time, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the EU, with the help of the 800 billion euro ReArm Eure loan program, will be able to both rearm Eure and provide Ukraine with support in its existential struggle against Russian aggression.