Lithuanian Defence Minister Dovilė Šakalienė has called on Europe to ramp up military spending, writes lrt.lt.

"We can and must support each other with the US. To do so, we need to form a unified European position – show leadership on Ukraine`s EU membership and put money on the table for defence funding. Now is not the time for remorse; it is time for Europe to act according to its real capabilities and back up its words with weapons.

Now we will have to pay, with high interest and no deferment, the debt that Europe has accumulated over the seven decades when the US paid for its security. We must show that we are reliable partners", - said Dovilė Šakalienė.

Amid growing doubts about US commitments to Europe, the Lithuanian minister called this a "harsh but necessary wake-up call” and said Europe needs to "urgently grow its military muscle".

According to Šakalienė, NATO has three to four years to "fully prepare for a major war in Europe": "The only way to avoid war is to be fully prepared for it. We can no longer have any illusions of security".

The minister supported the position that no negotiations can take place without the direct involvement of Ukraine and Europe, and that real guarantees ensuring Ukraine`s security are essential for a lasting peace: “There is and there can be no talk about the alliance breaking apart - Europe and the US do not have the real ability to effectively deter, and if necessary, to overcome the Russia and China-led axis of evil, unless we want to suffer losses that will take decades to recover from. We can and must stand by Ukraine in the negotiations".