Poland wants return of around €450 million for weapons transferred to Ukraine
Poland is demanding full reimbursement of approximately 450 million euros for weapons supplied to Ukraine as part of its aid following the outbreak of full-scale war.
According to Censor.NET, this was stated by Polish Deputy Minister of Defense Cezary Tomczyk on RMF FM.
Poland has opposed the EU's new plan
A dispute has arisen over the 6.6 billion euros from the European Peace Facility (EPF), which were released after being blocked for a long time by Hungary.
The EU's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, has proposed a new mechanism for allocating these funds. It provides for partial reimbursement to countries for assistance already provided, funding for the training of Ukrainian military personnel, and joint procurement of weapons for Ukraine.
However, Warsaw did not support this proposal.
"This money is our money," Tomchik said.
According to him, a reduction in payments will mean less funding for the Polish army.
The Polish side also accuses Brussels of attempting to change the rules for allocating funds after the countries had already provided military aid to Ukraine.
Germany is offering to provide funds to Ukraine
Germany takes the opposite view. Officials in Berlin believe that all the released funds should be directed directly toward supporting Ukraine.
German Deputy Defense Minister Sebastian Hartmann emphasized that the European Peace Fund was established as a mechanism for solidarity.
The Scandinavian countries also support this position.
According to Polish diplomatic sources, the countries that were among the first to begin assisting Ukraine—notably Poland and Slovakia—oppose reducing compensation for weapons already delivered.
France takes a middle ground. Paris generally supports the approach taken by Kaja Kallas, although it opposes the purchase of weapons for Ukraine through the U.S. PURL mechanism.
The issue will now be discussed at the technical level, after which it will be reviewed by the EU ambassadors.
