The European Union as a Defense Actor

The European Union as a Defense Actor

From The Institute of World Politics by The Institute of World Politics

April 1, 2026 · 51 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the European Union's evolving role as a defense actor in the context of EU-U.S. relations and NATO, particularly in response to Russian aggression.

The EU Ambassador to the U.S. Jovita Neliupšienė addresses the European Union’s growing role as a key defense actor. Framed within the broader context of EU-U.S. relations and NATO, the discussion focuses on shifting European security concerns, particularly in response to Russian aggression. The conversation highlights the EU’s strategic perspective and defense dynamics, and showcases its commitment to increased defense spending. About the speaker: Ambassador Jovita Neliupšienė. She became the Ambassador of the European Union to the United States on January 1, 2024. Before that, she was a Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania from September 2022, where she was responsible for the coordination of European Affairs, European bilateral and regional issues, as well as national sanctions coordinator. From 2020-2022, she was Vice Minister of Economy and Innovation of Lithuania, tasked with investment and export promotion, international cooperation, including policy coordination of state-owned enterprises, as well as chairing the interagency commission for export control. In 2020, she held the post of Chancellor and State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania…

People in this episode

Guest: Jovita Neliupšienė

Topics covered

  • European Union
  • defense
  • security concerns
  • EU-U.S. relations
  • NATO
  • defense spending

Keywords

  • European Union
  • defense actor
  • Jovita Neliupšienė
  • EU-U.S. relations
  • NATO
  • security concerns
  • defense spending

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: European Union, NATO

Places: Lithuania, United States

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