EU plans to boost defense industry and move away from US dependency in the face of Russian threats

By RAF CASERT
Associated Press

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union has outlined ambitious plans to boost its defense industry as the bloc responds to the threat posed by Russia’s war on Ukraine. It also seeks to wean the member nations off an over-dependence on the U.S. defense industry. The plans by the EU Commission center on streamlining the procurement of arms by the 27 EU states and to increasingly produce them within the bloc in a multi-billion-dollar pivot away from the United States. The need for strategic independence underscores a sense of political estrangement from Washington, which has been reinforced by the strong showing of former President Donald Trump in the U.S. presidential campaign and his barbed comments on European defense spending.