The loud promise of the European Union to supply Ukraine with a million artillery ammunition is under threat. The Europeans still cannot agree on this, despite assurances of “reaching an agreement.”
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France puts spokes in the wheels, Polish media report.
Then they said that this should take 2 billion euros, which will be allocated from the European Peace Fund. Half should be earmarked for reimbursement of supplies of ammunition from the compositions of Member States. While there are not enough shells in the warehouses, that is why the idea of procurements outside the EU arose. This is reported by the Polish agency PAP, citing the words of an EU official.
France, however, opposed this. In this situation, the way out would be to receive ammunition in a third state as a donation, and then reimburse it from the compositions of the member state by transferring other weapons to the third state. Talk about this continues,” said a source in the EU.
It is noted that the second billion euros, which should be assigned by joint order in European industry, and de facto in Poland, France and Germany, has become a bigger problem.
The French before the holidays blocked the decision of the EU on the second billion euros. The draft contained a note that the ammunition should be reimbursed based on requests submitted by Ukraine. Paris, however, wants to delete this provision without explanation. This means the possibility of reimbursement of those ammunition that Ukraine did not ask for. In addition to the decision on ammunition, France wants to add the possibility of reimbursing the supply of missiles, the EU official said.
According to some diplomats, the lobbying interests of arms firms may be behind France’s position.
On March 20, it became known that the foreign ministers of the EU countries agreed on a plan for the supply of ammunition to Ukraine and the replenishment of their own warehouses, journalists and Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas.
The plan provides for the allocation of 2 billion euros. Half of the amount will be used to purchase ammunition for the Armed Forces of Ukraine (about a million ammunition), and the other half will be used to compensate for the stocks transferred to Ukraine by the EU countries.
Source: Racurs
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