The European Union should maintain strong defence ties with the United States despite deteriorating relations with President Donald Trump, says Lithuanian Finance Minister Rimantas Šadžius. It is especially important for countries that share a border with Russia.
“We have very important NATO partners that are aligned with us on both political terms but also in ensuring defence capabilities with us. Let’s name Norway, Canada and the United States,” Šadžius said in an interview with Politico.
“For all border states that are on the front line with hostile neighbours, the participation of the United States [within NATO’s framework] is absolutely crucially important,” he said.
The minister said the United States is one of NATO’s most important members, “so they have been, are and will remain very important defence partners for the Europeans”.
“I think we should make everything possible to integrate our allies into the joint defence effort,” he said.
As Washington reaches tariff deals with China and other countries, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said last week that the EU also wants an agreement with the US to avoid painful tariffs, but if negotiations fail, the bloc is prepared to respond with retaliatory duties.
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