France opposes using EU funds to purchase British missiles for Ukraine, and the EU's 90 billion euro funding is difficult to implement
Just as Zelenskyy is in a hurry, Ukrainian forces are hoping for European military aid that has not arrived yet. However, European countries have been passing the buck over which countries' products the EU funds should be used to purchase!
Recently, a new issue has emerged in Europe: France opposes using EU funds to purchase British missiles for Ukraine. As French President Macron said, the UK is not an EU member state, so weapons produced by it should not be included in the approved weapons list. France advocates that the funds allocated to Ukraine should only be used within the EU, preferably for purchasing French weapons, but can also be used for German weapons. However, it is limited to products produced within the EU, not those produced outside the EU.
The EU had previously agreed to provide Ukraine with 90 billion euros in loans, of which 60 billion euros would be used to purchase weapons. These funds have not yet arrived, but the debate over how they are spent has become extremely intense. France supports ensuring that only the EU benefits from this loan, not the US or other non-EU member states. However, this approach has been opposed by a coalition of 11 European countries, who have called for relaxing the rules and allowing Ukraine to spend money on weapons from Britain or the US.
Zelenskyy also opposed Macron's proposal, stating that Ukraine cannot limit itself to buying European weapons, because the EU does not produce the same Patriot air defense missile system. Ukraine hopes to spend at least 24-25 billion dollars in the US. Then the French intervened to prevent EU funds from flowing to US arms suppliers. All of this happened against the backdrop of the recent US increase in tariffs on French wine by 200%.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1855454287310924/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.