gotchanewsdaily.com 
Then there’s the political aspect of ensuring that the United States, under the leadership of the transactional Trump, sees value in maintaining its alliance with European countries. That’s why Europe should ensure it buys goods, including arms, from the U.S., said Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.
“The idea that we need to attract the U.S. for them to want to stay in Europe is the one that is most widely shared,” conceded a high-ranking French military officer, speaking on condition of being granted anonymity to talk candidly. “I’m afraid that France is a bit isolated and doesn’t get much support; other countries are more realistic.”
Turmoil in the time of Trump
That will make the U.S. president the most significant person at Monday’s meeting, even though he isn’t invited.
The fight over how much cash to send within the bloc and how wide to open the door to non-EU arms-makers is already raging over the €1.5 billion European Defence Industry Programme. Although it’s small — Kosiniak-Kamysz called the size a “joke” — it’s a precursor for a planned massive increase in EU defense spending.
Poland and the Baltic countries circulated a document ahead of the summit calling for the EU to spend at least €100 billion on defense by 2027 — including by purchasing arms from non-EU NATO allies. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said last year the bloc should look at spending an additional €500 billion on defense over the next decade.
At the moment, the U.S. is doing very well out of Europe’s military buildup. Between mid-2022 and mid-2023, 63 percent of all EU defense orders were placed with U.S. companies, and a further 15 percent with other non-EU suppliers, according to last year’s Draghi report, which looks to make Europe more competitive.
