France (the only EU country) blocks the allocation of EU funds for the purchase of ammunition for Ukraine, the Polish agency Polska Agencja Prasowa reports , citing a source.
They want to spend € 2 billion to finance the project, which France opposed. Half of the amount should have been sent to the EU countries themselves in order to reimburse the cost of supplies they made for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. However, there are not enough shells in European warehouses, so in the EU it became necessary to buy them in other countries. France opposed this idea, the agency writes.
The second billion of the specified amount should have been allocated for orders for the production of ammunition in the EU countries. However, France rejected this idea as well.
“The draft contained a provision that the reimbursement of ammunition should be made only on the basis of the requirements of Ukraine. Paris, however, wants, without explaining the reasons, to exclude this provision … France also wants to add the possibility of reimbursement for the supply of missiles, ”said the agency’s interlocutor.
According to some European diplomats, lobbying of arms companies could be behind France's position.