EU must cooperate with US on defense - Lithuanian finance minister

VILNIUS - The European Union should maintain strong defense ties with the United States, which is especially important for countries that share a border with Russia, despite the bloc's deteriorating relationship with President Donald Trump, Lithuanian Finance Minister Rimantas Sadzius said.

"We have very important NATO partners that are aligned with us on both political terms but also in ensuring defense capabilities with us. Let's name Norway, Canada and the United States," Sadzius said in an interview with Politico.

"For all border states that are on the front line with hostile neighbors, the participation of the United States (within NATO's framework) is absolutely crucially important," he said.

The minister said the United States is one of NATO's most important members, "so they have been, are and will remain very important defense partners for the Europeans."

"I think we should make everything possible to integrate our allies into the joint defense effort," he said.

As Washington reaches tariff deals with China and other countries, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said last week that the EU also wants an agreement with the US to avoid painful tariffs, but if negotiations fail, the bloc is prepared to respond with retaliatory duties.