European Union states should jointly buy weapons for resupply after supplying Ukraine, the EU defense agency said, warning that the United States cannot always protect Europe from threats.

The war in Ukraine demonstrates the lack of our capabilities, said Jiri Sedivy, executive director of the European defense agency.

He said the agency is in talks with European arms firms to increase production and with countries to join forces to buy equipment and ammunition. 

The United States will inevitably be involved in the Asia-Pacific region and will not be able to provide some of the critical enablers, such as spy planes, high-precision missiles and air defense assets.

He also pointed to the threat of terrorism and failed states in the Middle East or North Africa.

Europe has a fragmented approach to defense, with countries largely equipping their militaries on their own, creating a patchwork quilt of incompatible weapons and equipment.

European defense spending will exceed 200 billion euros for the first time in 2021, up 6 percent from the previous year, the highest since the region began increasing military spending in 2015.

According to the European Parliament's 2020 report, the EU will struggle to defend itself without U.S. assistance because it lacks intelligence, reconnaissance aviation and medium-range missile defense, as well as landing craft and submarines.