France is blocking a unanimous European Union decision to finance supplies of ammunition to Ukraine, Polish media reported, citing a senior EU source.
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“France is blocking the EU’s decision to finance the supply of ammunition to Ukraine. Among other things, it wants refinancing to be possible not only in the case of ammunition, but also missiles, even in a situation where Ukraine does not ask for such missiles,” the report says.
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The decision to finance the EU supply of ammunition to Ukraine was made in March at the EU summit in Brussels. For these purposes, it is planned to allocate 2 billion euros from the European Peace Fund. First of all, we are talking about artillery shells of large calibers.
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Of the 2 billion euros, half should be used to reimburse the supply of ammunition from the warehouses of EU member states. However, there are currently not enough shells in these warehouses, so a proposal for purchases outside the EU has appeared. “France opposed this,” the statement said.
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It is noted that another serious problem is the distribution of the second billion euros, which will be allocated for joint orders of ammunition in European industry, that is, de facto in Poland, France and Germany.
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“The French before holidays blocked the EU decision on the second billion euros. The draft stated that ammunition should be reimbursed only depending on the demand presented by Ukraine. Paris, however, wants to cross out this entry without giving reasons.
According to sources, behind the French decision “there may be lobbying for arms companies.” “We are talking about creating a mechanism for the forced order of certain equipment, which the Ukrainian side may not actually need,” the experts say.
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EU leaders at a summit in Brussels on Thursday supported a plan to speed up the transfer of ammunition to Ukraine, joint purchases and increase military production. Earlier, the heads of the EU Foreign and Defense Ministry agreed at the political level on a plan providing for the supply of one million ammunition to Ukraine over the next 12 months, as well as joint purchases and production to replenish their own stocks and continue deliveries to Ukraine in the medium term.
