Shorouk Express
The Lithuanian commissioner also said he would raise the idea of a “temporary commercial approach” with EU countries, as the project would be time-consuming and expensive.
The EU is already taking steps to develop a new constellation of secure communication satellites that can rival Elon Musk’s Starlink, called IRIS².
The remarks by Kubilius come after U.S. President Donald Trump temporarily paused military intelligence-sharing with Ukraine to pressure it into peace talks, laying bare Europe’s reliance on the U.S.
Kubilius is due to present a “massive investment” plan next week to build up the EU’s defense industry to support Ukraine and deter Russia, as “Europe cannot take the U.S. security guarantee for granted,” according to a draft obtained by POLITICO.
The draft paper included provisions to favor weapons production within the bloc and by “like-minded third-country companies,” encourage joint purchases of arms, ease the financing of defense projects, and focus on key areas where the bloc has a capacity shortfall like air defense and military mobility.
