German politician advocates for European defence strategy, citing Ukraine crisis

The chairman of the European People's Party (EPP) has called on the future German government to place greater emphasis on European defence equipment.

In an interview with the German media holding Funke, Manfred Weber criticized the current prioritization of US arms exports following the Ukraine-Russia conflict, Caliber.Az reports.

German national Weber, who leads the EPP in the European parliament and is a member of the CSU at home, pointed out that nearly 80 percent of the German government's defence procurement funds have gone toward US products.

“From now on, European tax money should be used to buy European products and create European jobs,” Weber emphasized, advocating for a shift in thinking that would strengthen European companies and reduce dependence on the United States.

He views the securing of peace in Ukraine as a potential starting point for the development of a European army within NATO. “That would be the logical response to Putin, but also to Trump,” Weber stated. He called for the creation of a European security architecture that would remain stable regardless of political changes in Europe.

Weber further urged that the European Union must be capable of defending itself independently without outside help by 2030. Europe must “never again find itself in a situation where its security and prosperity depend on who is sitting in the White House,” he warned.

By Nazrin Sadigova