Costa and Von der Leyen defend before Rutte that the Europeans have “invested heavily” in their defense

The presidents of the European Council, António Costa, and of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, defended this Tuesday in a meeting with the Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, that European countries have “invested heavily” in their defense, hours before the summit of leaders of the Atlantic Alliance begins in Ankara, which is also attended by the president of the United States, Donald Trump, who remains critical of the spending of the members of the Union.

“In a more dangerous world, the EU-NATO association is more important than ever. European states are investing heavily in its defense,” Costa and Von der Leyen said in two identical messages shared on their social networks, along with an image of the bilateral meeting held with Rutte.

In this context, representatives of the European institutions have highlighted that the financial commitment of Europeans has made it possible to count on “stronger, combat-ready and interoperable forces.”

It has also contributed to “strengthening Europe’s defense industry” and “bringing greater security, better jobs and stronger growth for Europeans,” concludes the coordinated statement from the German conservative and the Portuguese socialist.