First published in Respekt.
As Europe faces its most significant security challenges in decades, questions about defence, industrial capacity, and support for Ukraine have become central to the continent’s future. In this interview, EU defence commissioner Andrius Kubilius discusses Ukraine’s ability to win, the fragmentation of the defence industry, and what would be a fatal mistake.
You are historically the first EU commissioner for defence of the European Union. At the same time, you come from Lithuania, one of the smallest member states. What is it like for you personally to lead the defence of a continent of almost half a billion people?
It is of course a completely new experience, compared to everything I have gone through before, including the position of prime minister or member of the European Parliament. I have a demanding agenda, I have to keep learning new things and their context to understand how complex decision-making works. Referring to the country I come from, I would in any case say that we Baltic people are well prepared to perceive current threats.
You do your job in increasingly complex security times, do you ever have sleepless nights because of that? What goes through your mind when you cannot sleep?
