Lithuanian Defence Minister Dovilė Šakalienė highlighted NATO's current challenges amidst growing tensions regarding European security and Ukraine's aspirations. During a recent NATO meeting, US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth deemed Ukraine’s hopes of recapturing territory unrealistic, complicating the alliance's posture. Šakalienė warned that NATO and EU must rapidly enhance their defence capabilities, which are currently falling behind Russia's military advancements. The EU faces a daunting task of closing a €500 billion defense spending gap to adequately support both Ukraine and its own security needs.
"The size of the Ukrainian army and the size of our defence industry, of our own defence capabilities, they do not match the speed of the Russian military industry."
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