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The United States has urged the EU to continue buying American-made weapons, despite recent moves by the European Union to limit the participation of American manufacturers in arms procurement tenders.
Five sources familiar with the matter revealed details to Reuters, Ukrinform reports.
In mid-March, the European Commission proposed increasing military spending and pooling resources on joint defense projects as Europe braces for reduced U.S. military involvement on the continent under President Donald Trump. Some of the proposed measures could imply a smaller role for companies from non-EU countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, experts say.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the foreign ministers of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia in a meeting on March 25 that the United States wants to continue participating in EU defense procurement, the sources said. Rubio said any exclusion of American companies from European tenders would be viewed negatively in Washington, they noted.
Rubio also plans to discuss the issue during a visit to Brussels this week, where he will participate in a NATO foreign ministerial, a senior State Department official said.
He added that Trump had welcomed recent efforts by European allies to strengthen their defense capabilities, but warned against creating barriers that would push American companies out of EU projects.
In mid-March, the European Commission rolled out a defense program entitled ReArm Europe, which would borrow EUR 150 billion to lend to defense projects in EU countries. Although the EC has stated that companies from outside the EU can apply to participate in these projects, arms manufacturers from outside the bloc will in practice face a number of practical and administrative obstacles.
At the same time, according to several interlocutors, the U.S. attention to the issue has intensified in recent weeks as the EU has become more resolute in snubbing further purchases of American weapons.
