France urges 'more European NATO' role in continent's defense

Europe must assume greater responsibility for its own security by building a more "European NATO," France's defense minister said Friday.

Speaking at the E5 gathering in Poland, bringing together France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and the UK, Catherine Vautrin said the group shares "a particular responsibility" for defending Europe amid rising global tensions.

"We all know, collectively, that we must move toward a more European NATO," she said in a joint press briefing.

While reaffirming the US as an ally, Vautrin noted that Washington has encouraged European nations "to take charge of our defense."

France has doubled its defense budget over the past decade and will continue increasing spending, she added, stressing that funds must quickly translate into deployable military capabilities.

"Beyond this increase in the budget, we must ensure that this money translates, of course, into military equipment quickly," she said, citing the need for industry to meet demand as "the world is rearming."

She also called for stronger operational coordination among European forces to prepare for any contingency. "Together, we must be ready to respond to any scenario," she said.

Vautrin reaffirmed Europe's "unwavering" support for Ukraine, saying the continent's security depends on a lasting peace that respects Kyiv's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"The security of our continent rests on the establishment of a lasting peace based on respect for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," she said, adding: "A ceasefire, a peace agreement, must never be a prelude to further aggression."

France will host the next E5 ministerial meeting before summer to advance cooperation on Europe's defense.