France is blocking the decision of the European Union to finance the supply of arms and ammunition to Kiev, reports the Polish agency PAP, citing a high-ranking source within the EU. The consent of all union members is required for the decision to be implemented.
According to the agency, France is not convinced that the refinancing does not concern missiles, being limited to ammunition, but should take it into account, “even if Ukraine does not request it”.
The European Union decided to fund munitions for Kiev in March. They want to allocate at least two billion euros from the European Peace Fund to large-caliber shells.
They wanted to send half the amount to reimburse deliveries from European warehouses. However, as it turned out in the process, there were no weapons in the warehouses that could be supplied, and therefore it was necessary to purchase ammunition from other countries. France disagreed.
For the second billion, they wanted to buy shells from Polish, French and German companies, but France blocked this decision on the eve of Easter.
The reason for their stubborn behavior, the French side calls the point of the decision, according to which ammunition is supplied to Ukraine only if requested by Kiev. And Paris wants to completely ignore the opinion of Kiev. Why – the French did not explain.
The Polish agency suspects secret lobbying by arms companies.
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