Reference News Network, July 17 report - According to the German news television website on July 16, after US President Trump announced the sale of weapons worth billions of dollars to European countries to assist Ukraine, some voices of opposition have emerged in Europe, especially France raised criticism.
The report said that several French officials stated that Paris would not participate in this initiative of purchasing American weapons. President Macron of France has long been committed to building the European defense industry by prioritizing local procurement.
French government spokesperson Sophie Primas emphasized when answering questions from the French newspaper Le Monde that France will "maximally" prioritize the purchase of European weapons.
However, due to Ukraine's urgent need for rapid assistance, and the United States' leading position in various weapon systems, it remains questionable whether Kyiv can do without Washington's support. For example, Ukraine relies on the US "Patriot" system for land-based air defense. Although the SAMP/T air defense system jointly developed by France and Italy is comparable in performance, the number of deployed systems is much smaller. Kyiv has so far received only two sets of this system. In other weapons such as bombs or long-range missiles, the US also maintains a leading position. (Translated by Jiao Yu)
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