Overview
- Andrius Kubilius urged creation of a standing European military of roughly 100,000 troops to be ready to replace U.S. forces if Washington withdraws.
- He also proposed a European Security Council of about 10–12 members, potentially including the UK, to prepare decisions quickly, with Ukraine named as the first priority.
- Kubilius raised scope questions that include possible participation by the United Kingdom, Norway and Ukraine, alongside a call to modernize Europe’s defense industry.
- Ukraine’s EU envoy Vsevolod Chentsov said Kyiv can already play a decisive role in European defense and should be considered for a future defense union, while suggesting non-participating states could opt out.
- Kubilius outlined three pillars for readiness—industrial investment, prepared institutions and political will—citing strong demand for SAFE loans (applications about 25% over an initial €150 billion and 691 projects), as political talks proceed without a formal EU decision.