Your Majesty,

Ladies and gentlemen,

It is a great honor to be here as the European Unions first-ever Commissioner for defense.

I come from Lithuania, in the far northeast of Europe. Spain is in the far southwest. Two countries, thousands of kilometers apart, but side by side in shared values, shared experience, and a shared future.

We transformed our countries in our lifetimes. Founded and embedded our democracies. Joined, built, and shaped the European Union, bringing massive prosperity and changing our countries and Europe for the better.

We live in times of uncertainty that call for unity and solidarity. Solidarity is our most important value, the foundation of our Union.

Migration demands solidarity from all EU member states. Migrants coming from Africa should not only be a problem for Spain, Italy, or Greece. Weaponized migration by Putin and Lukashenka on the Eastern border is not only a threat to Poland or Lithuania. Protecting the borders of the whole European Union demands solidarity from all EU member states.

Today, defense is one of our biggest challenges. Defense also demands solidarity from all Member States because our defense is based on the principle of collective defense. If one country does not invest in its own defense, it weakens all others in their defense.

Thats why the European Commission presented the White Paper on European Defense and Readiness 2030: Proposals to ramp up defense production and radically scale up defense spending. Creating possibilities for all Member States to mobilize up to 800 billion euros for defense.

Let me be clear: Spain decides how much to spend on defense. Spain decides what investments they want to make.

We want to build a defense industry right here in Europe so European taxpayer money creates European jobs right here in Europe, and Spanish jobs right here in Spain.

Spain has a strong defense industry. Spain is cutting edge in shipbuilding, air defense, and space.

A massive surge in defense production will mean massive investment for industry. It will bring innovation, big opportunities for businesses big and small, and big benefits for our regions and local communities. And it will bring jobs, jobs, jobs.

One billion in defense investment is 6500 new jobs. High-quality jobs, highly skilled and high-paying jobs. For every job generated in defense, three are created in the larger economy.

A strong Spanish defense industry and a strong European defense industry will also help us to defend Europe.

Putin hates the European Union and would like to destroy it. Not only Ukraine, all of us are already under attack. Hybrid attacks in Germany and Spain, Russian cyber attacks on Spanish ministries, companies, and city councils. Disinformation undermining democracy in Spain and Germany. Sabotage in the Baltic Sea, in Poland, France, and Germany.

Russia is producing weapons on a massive scale. In three months, Russia makes more weapons than all NATO members in one year.

If we do nothing, Putin could be tempted to use that military power.

Intelligence services report: Russia is getting ready to challenge NATO Article 5 by 2030. In five years or less, Russia could be willing and able to attack one or more EU countries.

An attack on one of us will affect all of us.

Even if the bombs do not hit our own countries, our own homes, they target all of us. They target our way of life, our peace, prosperity, and freedom.

If the storm comes, none of us will escape the devastation. But we can still prevent this from happening. We can still deter Russian aggression, prevent war, and preserve peace by taking responsibility for our own defense.

Your Majesty, Honored guests,

This is a time for solidarity, a time for unity, national and European, a time for action.

So now lets work together, for the defense of Europe, for the defense of Spain.