"There is no sense of urgency in EU": Lithuanian MEP Auštrevičius calls for accelerating Ukraine’s arming
The EU countries are far behind in providing military aid to Ukraine, as they are too slow to deploy the capacities of their military-industrial complex.
This was stated by Petras Auštrevičius, a member of the European Parliament from Lithuania, in a commentary to Guildhall, Censor.NET reports.
"In European countries, there is a general understanding that the defense industry must be reborn. It needs to expand both in terms of capacity and quality. Nothing else stands in the way of this step, but the practical implementation is where the EU is lagging far behind. Everything is not happening as we would like and as it should. I was shocked by an interview with the CEO of a company that produces Caesar howitzers in early 2024, which said that the Caesar manufacturer is considering, and I emphasize, considering the possibility (of introducing a second shift in production. - Ed.). This is only being considered, the decision has not even been made yet. This is unacceptable, but it is a reality. Europeans have no sense of urgency," the MP said.
"Someone is at war, and it is Ukraine, and we are doing what we can. But maybe we can do 10% more, maybe we can do 20% more, and maybe we should do 200% more. That is, there is a huge discrepancy between reality and promises. I don't see any understanding of the urgency (of the process of deploying and expanding defense production in the EU. - Ed.) This is not even in the plans for organizing production. This is very disturbing. The West does not live up to its promises. I mean, we have learned how to say the right words, but we have not learned how to do what we have to do and do it quickly. There is still a gap between Ukraine's needs and our actions," summarized Mr. Auštrevičius.
