NATO says Europe has no capacity to produce weapons for Ukraine
The US permanent representative to NATO said that Europe does not have enough capacity to produce weapons for Ukraine.
US Permanent Representative to NATO Matthew Whitaker said in an interview with Fox News on July 15 that Europe is currently unable to produce the necessary weapons that Ukraine needs on the battlefield or might need in the event of a potential war in the region.
“The reality is that Europe cannot currently produce the weapons that Ukraine needs on the battlefield, or in the event of a possible war in Europe. Therefore, the United States is the leading manufacturer of such weapons systems and will supply them to Europe. Europe will pay for them, and this is a reasonable approach,” Whitaker said.
At the same time, the official noted that US President Donald Trump did not ask European allies to bear the costs of military assistance to Ukraine, since this is what Europe itself wants.
Earlier, on July 14, the US President announced that future military aid to Ukraine would include Patriot batteries. European countries will be responsible for transferring their Patriot air defense systems to Kiev and will replenish their arsenals by purchasing new complexes from the US.
At the 2025 NATO summit in the Netherlands, the joint declaration stated that member states must allocate 5% of GDP to defense by 2035. However, Spain has opposed this provision. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, in a letter to the NATO Secretary General, indicated that the Spanish government would not support increasing defense spending to 5% of GDP, but suggested a more flexible option until 2032.