Lithuania 🇱🇹 is a key player & contributor developing defence readiness on the Eastern Flank 🇪🇺 Always good to meet Minister Kęstutis Budrys, to reassure the support of @ec.europa.eu to 🇱🇹 in the light of Lukashenko's hybrid attacks & strategize on the next steps building Defence Union.

Hybrid attacks against Lithuania 🇱🇹- treat to🇪🇺security. Ways to counter them - defence innovations. Discussed both aspects with Minister of Interior Kondratovič, Minister of Economy & innovations Grikšas, and a group of innovators.

During my mission in Lithuania 🇱🇹 a good opportunity to meet the Laser Association in #Altechna. Laser companies are important providers for defence and for space. Presented 🇪🇺 programmes that encourage production scale up, enable simplification and European independence.

It becomes🎄tradition: end-of-year meeting w Speaker of @LRSeimas. With @juozas_olekas, former MoD&MEP, we agree, that 🇪🇺needs “peace through strength” & more defence Independence with: ✅national defence spending ✅Eastern Flank Watch&other 🇪🇺 Flagships ✅ more support for 🇺🇦

Always pleased to meet Ukrainian media representatives 🤝🇺🇦 While crucial for Ukraine and European security discussions are ongoing in #EUCO, I used the opportunity to thank Ukraine for defending Europe.

BEFORE TOMORROW It would be good if this book would be read before tomorrow on both sides of Atlantic!

BEFORE TOMORROW: “This is Europe's independence moment. The bottom line is simple: Europe must be responsible for its own security. This is no longer an option. It is a must. Here again, we are moving mountains.” @vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu 1/3 ⬇️ 🔗 ec.europa.eu/commission/p...

🛡️ Europe strengthens collaboration in defence. With the European Defence Fund #EDF 2026 Annual Work Programme now adopted, €1 billion will support collaborative #EUDefence R&D across Europe. 🇪🇺 helps turn shared priorities into shared capabilities! 🔗 link.europa.eu/gjYm9w

Launch success with #Galileo SAT 33 & SAT 34! 👏 Congrats to all mission teams! With these new satellites, we strengthen Europe’s global navigation services - delivering greater precision, reliability & autonomy in space. 🔗 ec.europa.eu/commission/p... 📹 www.youtube.com/watch?v=41Ym...

4.5 billion people connect to 🇪🇺#Galileo every day It helps cars drive automatically, farmers grow food, ships navigate & save lives at sea Today 2 new satellites joined the Galileo constellation, boosting reliability & service continuity #DEFIS @euspa.bsky.social @esa.int @arianespace.bsky.social

EU Eastern flank – almost 1/5 of the EU GDP. In defence, the EUs role is to incentivise Member States and support their motivation to spend more on defence. Thank you @lithuaniaineu.bsky.social for initiating discussions in Brussels.

Eastern Flank Watch (EFW) region - some numbers to compare (2025), presented in Helsinki: Nominal GDP, trln USD : EFW - 2.68; Russia - 2.54; GDP in PPP, trln USD: EFW - 4.7; Russia - 7.1 ; 1/2 ⬇️

Always happy to engage with Finnish MPs, this time with Defence Committee 🇫🇮 Finland is a perfect example where defence readiness is a 'whole society' mission. Europe faces increasing security challenges. Everyone in the EU will need contribute to European security.

Thank you, President Alexander Stubb, for supporting @ec.europa.eu on #DefenceReadiness, defence flagships & Ukraine. Peace talks in Berlin show Europe's commitment & leadership to support 🇺🇦 & investing in our defence. We need to be ready as we are neither at peace, nor at war.

Today I am in Helsinki 🇫🇮, taking part in important #EasternFlank Summit. Russian war economy is not stopping. Eastern Flank is critical to the 🇪🇺security. @ec.europa.eu can support the Eastern Flank MS with EU programs. Thank you, Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, for the invitation.

Our defence relies now on the backbone of U.S. mil. forces in Europe.  What will that backbone look like in the future? German forces? 23 separate EU MSs/NATO forces? Or a new European Defence Union? Would 🇺🇸 be stronger, if it had 50 armies, 50 defence policies & 50 budgets?

Impressive analysis by @csis.org (from Washington D.C.) of the challenges to European defence: “How Europe can defend itself with less America”. 1/3 ⬇️ www.csis.org/analysis/how...

Powerful message today by Chancellor Merz : “Putin - like Hitler”, “Pax Americana is over”, European answer should be: “support for Ukraine for as long as it needs it; cohesion within the European Union;… ⬇️ 1/2 www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECPB...

Full recorded remarks at #SEDE first Interparliamentary Committee with EU National Defence Committees #EUDefence @sede.europarl.europa.eu 📹 multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/en/webstream... 🔗 ec.europa.eu/commission/p...

There’s little difference between Lukashenko and Putin. Both fear their own people. One jailed the opposition; the other poisoned opponents and launched a “glorious” imperial war against Ukraine. Both are losing. Lukashenko first. Putin next.

If 🇪🇺will face Russian aggression, it will face a Russian battle tested army, which is much stronger than it was back in 2022. Apart from Ukraine, no one in Europe has comparable experience. Are we ready to integrate 🇺🇦 battle tested military capabilities with ours, and how?

Are we preparing for a “European Pillar of #NATO” as our transatlantic partners are signalling that they are going to shift their defence resources towards Indo-Pacific? And they are asking us to take responsibility for SACEUR. Are we preparing ourselves for such a development?

Can we revive the idea of a European Security Council, 1st presented by President Macron and former Chancellor Merkel in 2017-2019? For: -European response in the case of military aggression -European Defence Union -🇺🇦mil capabilities integration -defragmentation of EU defence industry

Are we ready to implement🇪🇺TEU Art.42.7 on the obligation of Member States for “mutual assistance” to the victim of the aggression?  Niinistö Report urges us to operationalize it How will the EU be managed during such a crisis? Do we have a proper institutional arrangement? @sede.europarl.europa.eu

🇪🇺 MSs are looking more at how to ramp-up their own defence capabilities. But we need to resolve some European level defence problems, related with industrial fragmentation or the needed institutional, political arrangements in order to pursue European defence independence. @sede.europarl.europa.eu

Today I am in Rome 🇮🇹 and had an excellent meeting with Minister of Defence Guido Crosetto. We are committed to work together strengthening material, institutional and political #DefenceReadiness of the EU, which is absolutely necessary to prevent war and ensure peace.

Important VTC with 🇫🇷🇩🇪🇮🇹🇵🇱🇬🇧 Defence Ministers,🇪🇺@KajaKallas, on achieving European #DefenceReadiness quickly. The geopolitical moment is here for European defence industry and capabilities. Swift implementation of #Roadmap, SAFE, EDIP and decision on 🇺🇦Reparations loan is essential.

Massive Member States’ interest in #SAFE 🇪🇺 ➡️691 defence projects in total; ➡️Member States are pitching defence projects in all 9 capability areas, for all 4 flagships. A lot of work ahead next year to meet geopolitical challenges.

We are advancing 🇪🇺 EU defence capabilities🛡️ At the Defence Union Project Group, I gave first insights into #SAFE: ➡️19 Member States will use SAFE for defence procurement; ➡️65% of 150 billion through joint procurement.

Important assessment of Chancellor Friedrich Merz: “What we once called the normative West no longer exists in this form. At best, it is still a geographical designation, but no longer a normative bond that holds us together.” www.msn.com/en-us/politi...

Discussions on the future of our defence are always important. I truly enjoyed our exchange of views and valuable intellectual inputs I received. Hopefully, this will lead to further discussions and actions leading to a true European #DefenceUnion!

We need not only material, institutional, political, but also intellectual #DefenceReadiness. With assistance of Klaus Welle I invited a group of wise women and men to a high-level discussion on the future of European defence and main challenges to creating a true European Defence Union. 1/4 ⬇️

What Really Worries Americans: European Values Or European Unity? Read my comment on the meaning of the US National Security Strategy: andriuskubilius.lt/en/what-real...

Mario Draghi and Enrico Letta reports call for a single market for space. We need an EU #SpaceAct to establish the right conditions for such a single market - 1 set of rules instead of 27. And we need to design it together. Remarks at #COMPET Council: ec.europa.eu/commission/p...

If Europeans (incl.🇪🇺), will not support 🇺🇦 at a substantial level, who will? If “no” to the Reparation Loan, what is a real alternative? If 🇺🇦 is left without our support & forced to surrender, how much will it cost Europeans to stop the inevitable Russian aggression against 🇪🇺?

Always good to meet Minister Andrii Sybiha & discuss how 🇪🇺 can further assist 🇺🇦. I always regret that our assistance is still not enough to bring peace & remain deeply grateful for everything 🇺🇦 does for the defence of Europe. I feel confused when Ukraine thanks us! Slava Ukraini!

Our strong support for Ukraine is crucial for global security, not only the security of the European continent. I welcomed Minister Andrii Sybiha in Brussels today. Good exchange on Reparations loan, EDIP and SAFE for joint purchases for, with and in Ukraine 🇪🇺🤝🇺🇦

Asking the right questions is the most important part in finding the right solutions to the problems. Here’s my 9 strategic questions on the future of European Defence for us to think about⬇️ ec.europa.eu/commission/p... @sede.europarl.europa.eu #EUDefence

Good memories from the @esa.int #CM25 meeting in Bremen 🇩🇪 last week. With the historic results of the meeting, we can be certain that Europe is firmly on the path to success in space. Success in space is crucial to our #DefenceReadiness and our Defence Independence.

🇪🇺 needs to be independent or at least be ready to be strong in geopolitical developments, including to have our plans on how peace in 🇺🇦 can be brought and to discuss them with our transatlantic partners. Interview @politico.eu w @jacopobarigazzi.bsky.social ⬇️ www.politico.eu/article/eu-n...

Very good analysis of the US Strategy by @nathalietocci.bsky.social ⬇️ foreignpolicy.com/2025/12/05/n...

US National Security Strategy: clear evidence & plenty of arguments why Europe needs to build fast its own Defence Independence & its own Geopolitical Independence. We have #DefenceReadiness Roadmap for our Defence Independence. We need the same for our Geopolitical Independence.

A historic proposal by @ec.europa.eu to establish a Reparation Loan instrument for 🇺🇦 with an ammount of €165 B to support Ukraine's budgetary & defence needs; this loan to be repaid by reparations due by Russia; it is undepinned by a system of guarantees from MSs and EU.

Today I took part in #SEDE 1st ever interparliamentary meeting with national Defence Committees on the Future of European Defence. A good opportunity not only to answer questions, but also to raise new ones! 🔗📹 multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/en/webstream...

🇪🇺&🇱🇹& civil aviation sector is under hybrid attack from Lukashenko, backed by China-made balloons. A new mutation of attack, new instrumentalisation. A threat to🇪🇺citizens. Thank you, Minister of Transport and Communications Juras Taminskas, for updates on the status quo, and how 🇪🇺 can assist.

Together we can outspend, outproduce and outgun Russia.  To deter Russia we must work as a team🇪🇺 The division of labour is clear:  Member States lead and decide.  Industry produces.  The EU supports. Keynote at the @asdeurope.bsky.social Defence & Security Conference ec.europa.eu/commission/p...

Sanctions is the only language Lukashenka understands.

Good day to receive Ukraine’s Defence Minister Denys Shmyhal in Brussels, just as 15 EU Member States have indicated that they will use their European defence #SAFE loans to support Ukraine. We stand with Ukraine 🇪🇺🤝🇺🇦

More good news for #SAFE, and for our defence readiness! 🇪🇺🤝🇨🇦 Thanks, Minister David McGuinty, for a good partnership!

Space is growing fast across the globe 🛰️🌍 Over the past 12 months, the #EU has kept pace on 🇪🇺#EUSpace — and delivered ⬇️ 1/3