Europe must do more to get stronger - Lithuanian foreign minister

VILNIUS - Europe must do more to bolster its defense, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said at the opening event of the GLOBSEC Transatlantic Forum in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.

"The US contributes about two-thirds of NATO's defense budget, while Europe covers the rest. This is not a fair share when it comes to ensuring collective defense," the Foreign Ministry quoted Budrys as saying in a press release on Thursday.

"Europe must do more to become stronger. How strong and capable the NATO alliance will be depends on the collective defense investments we all make," he said.

According to the ministry, Budrys stressed in his speech that with Russia waging war in Ukraine for the third year, the Alliance must deter threats and defend every ally if necessary.

The minister believes that the only way to enhance Europe's security is to increase defense spending and allocate it strategically, closing existing capability gaps, empowering the defense industry, and continuing consistent support for Ukraine.

Budrys noted that the Alliance is currently under significant pressure after a decade of underinvestment in defense.

He also pointed out that some allies still fail to meet the 2 percent of GDP defense spending target agreed upon at the 2014 NATO summit in Wales.

According to the minister, not enough effort has been made in the past two years to ensure the reliable implementation of NATO's regional defense plans.

The Foreign Ministry has said earlier that the program of Budrys' visit to Washington, which runs until Friday, also includes bilateral meetings with US administration officials.