EU's von der Leyen says strong Europe means strong NATO

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Friday reaffirmed Europe's plans to increase defense spending, emphasizing that this would also strengthen the European pillar within NATO.

"Europe must become more independent, it must do more for its defense. A strong Europe also means a strong NATO," she told a joint news conference with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul in Munich.

Addressing US President Donald Trump's criticism of European allies for not sharing NATO's financial burden, von der Leyen emphasized that EU member states have begun significantly increasing their defense investments and spending.

"Last year, we did more for defense in Europe than in the 10 years before," she said. "If you look at the last seven-year budget, €8 billion ($9.5 billion) were allocated to defense. Last year, we mobilized €800 billion ($948 billion) for European defense so that we can close the gaps we have."

She added that the SAFE program will be key to supporting joint defense industry projects among EU member states and partners.

Von der Leyen, Rutte and Wadephul later attended the "Transatlantic Forum" hosted by Bavarian Premier and Christian Social Union (CSU) party leader Markus Soeder. The leaders gathered in the southeastern German city to attend the annual Munich Security Conference, a high-profile gathering of world leaders, defense ministers and security experts.