France is blocking implementation of EU plan to supply Ukraine with ammunition worth 2 billion euros, - mass media
According to the Polish agency PAP, France is blocking the decision of the European Union, which is supposed to legally consolidate a political agreement on the joint financing of the supply of ammunition to Ukraine for 2 billion euros.
This is reported by Censor.NET with reference to ZN.ua.
Half of the provided funds are planned to be used to reimburse the projectiles that will be sent from the warehouses of the member states. However, as the agency writes, there are not enough stocks, so there was a need to purchase ammunition outside the European Union. France opposed such contracts.
"In this situation, the solution would be to purchase ammunition in a third country free of charge, and then recover them from the warehouses of a member state, transferring other weapons to a third country. Discussions on this matter continue," the source said.
Difficulties also arose with the other billion allocated for the plan for the supply of projectiles. EU countries want to spend this money on joint orders from European manufacturers. The 155 mm projectiles included in the agreement are manufactured in Poland, France and Germany.
"The French have blocked the EU's decision regarding the second billion euros. The draft contained a provision that the ammunition could be reimbursed only on the basis of Ukraine's demand. Paris, however, wants, without explaining why, to remove this provision. It would also mean the possibility of refunds for munitions, which the Ukrainian side did not ask for. In addition to the decision on munitions, France wants to add the possibility of reimbursement of missile supplies," the interlocutor said.
As PAP writes, some diplomats assume the presence of lobbying by defense companies. They probably want to create a mechanism for compensation for the production of weapons, which may turn out to be unnecessary for the armed forces.
Most of the member states of the European Union criticize such a perspective, including Poland. The permanent representative of the country in the EU, Andrzej Sados, urged not to waste time on the issue of sending shells and emphasized that Warsaw will not agree to the return of weapons that Kyiv did not ask for.
It is expected that the negotiations on the implementation of the plan for the joint supply of ammunition to Ukraine will continue on April 12.
