US officials have told European allies that they want them to continue buying American-made weapons. This follows recent European Union (EU) moves that may limit the participation of US manufacturers in arms tenders, on Tuesday, the 2nd of April, citing five sources familiar with the situation, reports Reuters.
Washington’s concerns in recent weeks coincide with EU efforts to strengthen Europe’s arms industry and potentially restrict US arms supplies.
European allies are concerned about US credibility in the light of President Donald Trump’s recent foreign policy moves, including a temporary reduction in military aid to Ukraine and a softer stance towards Russia.
In response to these challenges, the EU has proposed to increase military spending and cooperate on defence projects, including the ReArm Europe initiative.
Some of the proposed measures could reduce the role of third countries, including the US and the UK, in European arms procurement, experts say.
SECRETARY OF STATE MARCO RUBIO SAID ON THE 25TH OF MARCH AT A MEETING OF THE FOREIGN MINISTERS OF LITHUANIA, LATVIA AND ESTONIA THAT THE US WANTS TO CONTINUE PARTICIPATING IN EU DEFENCE PROCUREMENT, SOURCES TOLD REUTERS.
Two sources said Rubio warned of negative consequences if US companies were excluded from these programmes, which was interpreted as a reference to the EU’s proposed new rules.
One of the Northern European diplomats who did not attend the Baltic meeting said that US officials had also recently informed them that any exclusion from EU arms purchases would be considered inappropriate.
Rubio plans to discuss his expectations that EU countries will continue to buy US arms during a visit to Brussels this week, where he will attend a meeting of NATO foreign ministers, a senior State Department official said.
“This is a subject that the Secretary has raised and will continue to raise,” the official said.
A State Department spokesperson said Trump welcomed recent efforts by European allies to “strengthen their defence capabilities and take responsibility for their own security”, but warned against creating new barriers that would exclude US companies from European defence projects.
“Transatlantic cooperation in the defence industry makes the Alliance stronger,” the spokesman said.
The Lithuanian foreign ministry declined to comment, while the Latvian and Estonian ministries did not respond to requests.
The confusion stems from the fact that Trump simultaneously wants Europe to increase defence spending and buy more US-made weapons (in line with his administration’s goal of expanding foreign markets for the US defence industry), while at the same time sending mixed signals on NATO, to which in response the EU is trying to strengthen its military production.
The EU’s ReArm Europe plan proposes to borrow 150 billion euros for defence projects, but there is still debate about who will lead the projects and how to finance them.
While the EC insists that under the proposed plan, companies outside the EU have the chance to compete, in practice arms manufacturers outside the bloc will face a number of practical and administrative hurdles.
The Trump administration – like previous administrations – has called on Europe to buy US weapons in the past, including at this year’s Munich Security Conference.
However, several sources pointed out that the US has increased its focus on this issue in recent weeks as the EU has taken more targeted action to reduce its dependence on foreign arms suppliers.
“They are worried about the ReArm proposal and that the US is excluded,” said a senior European source.