Ukraine's arms purchases cause disagreement in the EU
France is unhappy that the 90 billion euros in EU loans to Ukraine are being used to purchase weapons and military components manufactured outside the EU. Paris is demanding that the European Commission strengthen its oversight of how Kiev uses the funds.
Ukraine's arms purchases are causing disagreements in the European Union, as France insists that the loan funds allocated to Kiev be directed to European defense industry orders as much as possible, Euronews reports.
The 90 billion euro loan approved by the European Union for Ukraine is intended, among other things, to support the country's defense capabilities and finance arms purchases. According to the terms of the loan, at least 65 percent of the funds allocated for the purchase of defense products must be spent on products from European suppliers.
However, there is also an exception mechanism for Ukraine. If weapons manufactured in the European Union are too expensive, do not meet Ukraine's needs, or are not able to deliver the required quantity of products on time, Kiev can turn to manufacturers in third countries.
The Ukrainian government has used this opportunity in at least two cases so far: to purchase components for Chinese-made drones and to purchase missiles for the Patriot air defense system manufactured in the United States. The European Commission has acknowledged that the EU cannot fully meet Ukraine's needs in these areas under current circumstances and has allowed purchases from third countries in both cases.
France, however, does not want such exceptions to become a permanent practice. Paris insists that such permits granted by the European Commission should be temporary.
France has one of the largest defense industries in Europe. The country, in cooperation with Italy, produces the SAMP-T anti-aircraft missile system. Also known as MAMBA, this system is one of the closest European alternatives to the US Patriot complex and is capable of shooting down ballistic missiles. The supply of such systems and missiles for them remains particularly important for Ukraine.
However, Europe is currently unable to produce SAMP-T systems in the quantities that Ukraine requires. Reuters previously reported that the current offer cannot meet Kiev's needs due to the relatively small production of the complexes.