It hurt. Europe thumbed its nose at Trump. This one announces retaliation
The administration of US President Donald Trump has threatened to take action retaliatory actions against European countriesif the EU favors their weapons producers in its efforts to re-arm the continent.
The US Department of Defense criticized the EU for limiting access of US arms producers to the European market and warned that it would not leave it unanswered.
Members of the Trump administration made these comments as part of European Commission consultations held earlier this month. Earlier, the EU executive asked European governments and industry for views on European arms procurement rules.
“The United States strongly opposes any changes to the directivethat would limit the ability of U.S. industry to support or participate in arms procurement in EU member states,” the US administration wrote ahead of a planned update to EU arms procurement rules.
“Protectionist and exclusionary policies that exclude US companies from the market – while Europe's largest defense companies continue to benefit greatly from market access in the United States – are the wrong course of action,” she added.
Test for the EU
Washington's comment underlines paradox in the United States' approach to Europe. The Trump administration has repeatedly told Europeans that it wants them to bear most of the costs of the continent's conventional defense. At the same time, however, the United States does not want this to happen at the expense of American arms companies.
Over the past few years, the European Commission has sought to increase the share of European weapons in the bloc's arsenals and purchase contracts, while preparing for a potential conflict with Russia. For decades, the continent has relied heavily on US military equipment, from F-35 fighter jets to HIMARS artillery systems and Patriot air defense systems. Almost two thirds of the EU's arms imports come from the United States.
The EU executive is expected to present an update to the 2009 Public Procurement Directive in the third quarter of the year, most likely in the spirit of pressure for stricter rules on the purchase of European products. It is still unclear whether the new text will contain binding provisions favoring local producers or not.
Retaliation
The Pentagon has warned that any move to include a “buy European products” clause in future public procurement legislation will result in retaliation from the United States.
“If Europe's preferential measures were implemented in member states' national procurement laws, the United States would likely review all existing general exemptions and exceptions to 'buy American' provisions in our [wzajemnych umowach o zamówieniach obronnych] or introduced in connection therewith,” the U.S. Department of Defense said in a statement.
In practice, this means that the United States would close access to its market to European companies. Some 19 of the EU's 27 capitals have signed agreements with Washington that allow European companies to bid for some Pentagon contracts.
Humvee off-road vehicle carrying M142 HIMARS missile launchers, Warsaw, August 15, 2025.NurPhoto / Contributor / Getty Images
“Going forward, any exceptions will be considered on a contract-by-contract basis and only when deemed necessary to support NATO interoperability and standardization requirements,” the United States stressed.
Although the Pentagon buys materials mainly from American companies, European companies such as the Italian company Leonardo and the Swedish company Saab also sell their products to the United States.
“European preferences are already included in EU programs, but including them in the directive would be a turning point, that would impact the sovereignty of individual member states and their national budgets,” the Trump administration wrote.
The message from the Pentagon and the US Department of State was echoed by the US Chamber of Commerce. Although her tone is milder, she also warns against the EU establishing preferential conditions for European companies.
