Kubilius urges countries to protect EU defense budget ahead of leaders’ meeting

European Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius urged EU countries to keep defense spending high in the EU's next long-term budget — or face delays in the bloc's military ramp up. "Please support the next [multi-annual financial framework] defense lines," he said, speaking at POLITICO's European Resilience Summit . Otherwise, he added, "we shall have less possibilities to build the defense systems we need to have, or to build our infrastructure in space. That's very clear." His comments come as EU leaders are set meet Thursday to discuss the EU's next long-term budget from 2028 to 2034.