Europe remains reliant on China and the US for critical military components even as it projects confidence in shouldering its own defense.
Brussels is allowing Ukraine to spend EU funds on Chinese drone parts, the Financial Times reported, underscoring “the gaps that remain in the EU’s domestic defense production.” And Germany’s air force chief said the country will need to keep buying weapons like fighter jets from the US amid Russian aggression. “Developing our own capabilities takes time. Right now, we do not have time,” he told Politico.
Europe’s defense sovereignty push, spurred by Washington’s retreat as the continent’s security guarantor, has hit several hurdles in recent months, including the demise of a joint German-French fighter jet project.
