EU Defense Chief Urges Europe to Embrace ‘Peace Through Strength’ Against Russia

Key Facts

Published: May 27, 2026 Location: Brussels Source: Financial Times

• EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius urged Europe to adopt a “peace through strength” strategy against Russia.
• Kubilius warned Europe relies too heavily on expensive weapons that are difficult to mass-produce.
• He said Ukraine must be strengthened militarily before any serious negotiations with Moscow can favor Kyiv or the West.

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief

(Worthy News) – European Union Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius is urging European governments to expand weapons production, open military stockpiles to Ukraine, and adopt a “peace through strength” strategy to deter Russia.

In a May 27 interview with the Financial Times, Kubilius said Europe must move away from slow, expensive, highly sophisticated weapons systems and focus instead on cheaper arms that can be produced quickly and at scale.

“Europeans produce what they call ‘haute couture’ production,” Kubilius said, describing weapons that are advanced but “impossible to ramp up.”

Kubilius said Ukraine’s wartime production model should serve as a lesson for Europe. Kyiv has developed cheaper, effective weapons, including its domestically produced Flamingo cruise missile, which he said Ukraine could produce at a far greater scale than the EU’s current missile output.

“The only formula which can bring peace is so-called peace through strength,” Kubilius told the Financial Times.

He argued that strengthening Ukraine’s military would give Kyiv and Europe more leverage if negotiations with Russia resume. His comments come as European leaders consider possible future talks with Moscow, while the United States has paused its own mediation efforts after recent discussions failed to produce progress.

For Europe, Kubilius’ message was blunt: peace will not come through weakness, but through production, preparedness, and the resolve to deter Russian aggression.

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