• ‘We need to cooperate with (NATO allies) – with the UK, with Norway, with Türkiye – on defense issues and also on the defense industry. Our defense industries’ capacity is not meeting the demand,’ Budrys tells Anadolu

BERLIN 

The EU must move faster to strengthen its defense partnerships, including with Türkiye, if it wants to respond credibly to emerging threats, Lithuania’s foreign minister has warned.

Speaking to Anadolu, Kestutis Budrys said that while Europe has boosted military spending in recent years, the continent still lacks the industrial capacity, speed, and coordination needed for a long-term deterrence strategy, as the Ukraine war continues and other threats mount.

“We need to cooperate with (NATO allies) – with the UK, with Norway, with Türkiye – on defense issues and also on the defense industry. Our defense industries’ capacity is not meeting the demand that is out there,” he said.

Lithuania, a member of both the EU and NATO since 2004, has been among the strongest voices urging Europe to scale up defense readiness. Next year, Vilnius will spend 5.4% of its GDP on defense, one of the highest levels in the alliance.

Budrys, who previously served in senior intelligence roles, said Europe has made significant progress in recent years, but warned that raising budgets alone will not solve the continent’s capability gap.

He argued that Europe needs to procure weapons faster, streamline supply chains, and broaden industrial cooperation – steps that cannot be achieved through national efforts alone. “The answer is our allies,” he said, stressing that deepening cooperation with NATO members, including the US and Türkiye, is essential.

“I see great opportunities for better cooperation. And we shouldn’t close our defense industries (to others). If at this particular time in history, we will still practice the protectionism of defense industries, we will lose. This is something that we cannot afford,” Budrys said.

‘Türkiye is an ally’

To help meet these needs, the EU has launched several new initiatives to increase defense readiness, including substantial investments in industrial capacity.

Among them is the Security Action for Europe (SAFE), a €150 billion (nearly $175 billion) financing mechanism unveiled in May to support joint procurement and improve Europe’s defense output.

Budrys said he supports including Türkiye and Turkish defense firms in such programs.

“It has to be inclusive. We have right now a definition that allows security and defense partners to be part of the SAFE program, so this is how we should expand,” he said.

“Türkiye is an ally. We are not talking about someone out of our defense planning. We are planning how we would fight together, if it is needed. How can we separate it from other cooperation?”

Türkiye has already expressed interest in joining these programs and received support from major EU states including Germany, Spain, and Italy. However, objections from Greece and the Greek Cypriot Administration have stalled progress.

Budrys emphasized that the EU’s defense push is not meant to replace NATO, but to reinforce it. “Europe has to do more. That is what our American friends and allies are also telling us,” he said.

“All these ideas, I do not see them as being contradictory to NATO. They are supplementary, and they are in line with NATO.”

Türkiye’s role on NATO’s eastern flank

Budrys also highlighted Türkiye’s contribution to NATO’s deterrence posture, particularly its role in securing Baltic airspace.

“I’m really grateful to Türkiye, to its leadership, for the solidarity and assistance it showed in bringing one of its aircraft into the Baltic states and increasing the NATO posture,” he said, referring to Türkiye’s deployment of an AWACS radar aircraft.

He described NATO’s increased presence as “a very effective and right element” for strengthening the alliance’s deterrence, noting that drone-related incidents dropped sharply during the deployment.

“With increased posture, we deter such events and incidents … When the Turkish aircraft was on the mission in the Baltic states, the incidents with the drones decreased dramatically, and this is a good thing.”