Paris has filed a requirement that these munitions be produced only within the European Union, sources told The Telegraph.
France is blocking EU plans to resupply artillery shells for Ukraine over its demand that the ammunition be produced within the bloc. This was reported by The Telegraph, citing European sources.
The media said Paris wanted assurances that the agreement on the joint purchase of weapons worth two billion euros would only benefit EU-based companies.
The demand comes amid negotiations for a new Brussels-led scheme to acquire a million 155mm artillery shells to boost supplies to Kyiv and replace depleted national arsenals.
In Paris, they believe that only EU-based defense companies should have access to the new lucrative contracts.
At the same time, critics of such requirements warn that it could slow down support for Ukraine, as manufacturing capacity could easily be obtained outside the EU. In particular, many EU member states have expressed views that are “different from the French”.
“Paris is clearly prioritizing EU spending on its own industry over support for Ukraine,” the source added.
So far, EU countries have provided Ukraine with only 350,000 155mm artillery shells, which Kyiv desperately needs to hold its defense line and launch an expected counteroffensive in the spring.
Brussels has now reimbursed its member states 450 million euros for this aid, at an estimated cost of 1285 euros per projectile.
According to Western intelligence, the Armed Forces of Ukraine fire about 6,000 artillery shells every day, while Russia – 20,000 per day – is the same amount produced by European defense companies every month.
Ukraine has backed EU plans to jointly buy a million rounds, with Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov warning last week that it would not be enough to deal with a Russian invasion. He also said that Ukraine needs at least 100,000 155mm shells per month to reduce the shortage on the battlefield.
Britain and other non-EU NATO allies have privately expressed concern that Brussels’ centralized arms purchases could create bureaucratic obstacles within the Alliance and threaten interoperability.
Similar concerns were raised during joint EU accession talks, but France refused to back down on the grounds that it was seeking more “strategic autonomy” for the EU, the sources said.
Greece and Cyprus, according to the source, supported the French proposal to exclude companies from non-EU countries from participating in the procurement procedure to prevent Turkish firms from participating in tenders for contracts.
Norway may be the only non-EU country allowed to produce ammunition for the scheme, as it is a member of the European Defense Agency, which will coordinate procurement.
The final agreement is due to be signed later this month at a summit in Brussels.
As previously reported, France is considering the transfer of Mirage fighter jets to Ukraine.
In addition, US President Joe Biden discussed Macron’s assistance in Ukraine.
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Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.