Journalists said that the European Union decided to purchase ammunition for Ukraine outside the organization. However, a group of states led by France is blocking the EU's efforts to provide the Ukrainian Armed Forces with ammunition.
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Photo – EPA
The American publication Politico, citing three EU diplomats, writes that a number of countries, led by France, are blocking the organization’s attempts to use EU money to purchase shells for Ukraine outside the bloc, NBN informs.
According to journalists’ interlocutors, these states do not allow the European Union to purchase ammunition to help Kiev outside the organization, since weapons manufacturers in Europe need orders to justify increasing their production.
Diplomats noted that at a meeting of the Political and Security Committee this week, the majority of representatives of member countries supported the initiative to use the bloc's money to purchase ammunition that is not manufactured in the European Union.
However, France, Cyprus and Greece opposed the idea, making immediate support for Kiev secondary to the organization's goal of developing the arms industry.
Late last month, a senior French official said Paris would approve the purchase of shells from outside the organization if the EU did not send to Ukraine by March the promised million ammunition.
Earlier in Berlin they said that this year Germany will transfer three to four times more shells to Kiev.