French warplane maker Dassault blasts European defence record

By Tim Hepher and Anna Peverieri

(Reuters) -The head of French warplane maker Dassault Aviation delivered a blunt assessment of Europe's turnaround on defence spending on Wednesday, saying the continent's leaders had talked for decades about co-operation to little effect.

CEO Eric Trappier said he was closely watching budget discussions and that the Rafale manufacturer would be ready to seize any opportunities presented by Europe's need to rearm, given a rift over security with U.S. President Donald Trump.

Asked what he expected from an emergency European summit on Ukraine and European security, Trappier told reporters: "What I would like to see is European governments granting preference to European industry. I have been saying it for 30 years."

Trappier said France's historical refusal since the 1950s to rely mainly on the United States had been proved right by current events and that it would take time to rebuild capacity.

European leaders agreed over the weekend to boost defence spending to show Trump that the continent could protect itself and Germany, Europe's largest economy, has announced major changes to increase military spending.

Speaking to reporters after presenting annual results, Trappier delivered a withering assessment of the policies of neighbours who have tied their security in large part to the United States, including with purchases of the rival F-35.

"I'm delighted that Germany has realised that they have to invest in defence. We have already heard this a few years ago," Trappier told a press conference.

"There was a 100 billion (euro re-armament) plan in Germany, and one of the first decisions was to buy the F-35 to carry American nuclear arms: I wonder how effective that is today."

In 2022, Germany decided to order 35 F-35s made by U.S. defence giant Lockheed Martin, including missiles and other weapons, for around 10 billion euros.

'HEAVY WEIGHTS'

Trappier also urged the European Commission to bolster the defence industry with European funds.

"The European Commission has put heavy weights around the feet of European industry. The Chinese and Americans have developed their industries, yet we don't have real EU support."

Trappier's comments underscore differences in capability and approach across Europe's fragmented defence industry.

They echo a frequently expressed view in France, which in 1954 refused to back the European Defence Community, a bid to unify European forces, and later promoted an autonomous stance under President Charles de Gaulle to moderate U.S. influence.

"It's lucky that we didn't enter the EDC, otherwise we would have had heavy American weights around our feet today," Trappier said.

Trump has long demanded that Europe do more to safeguard its own defence so that Washington can focus on other regions, especially the Indo-Pacific.

European Union leaders will meet for an extraordinary summit on Thursday to discuss additional support for Ukraine and how to pay for European defence needs, EU officials said on Sunday.

(Reporting by Tim Hepher and Anna Peverieri; editing by Barbara Lewis and Alex Richardson)