Dispute between France and Poland delays EU plan to jointly purchase ammunition for Ukraine

The High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, Josep Borrellhas had to speak with Kuleba this Friday to try to reassure him and “confirm that the EU is fulfilling its commitments to provide ammunition to Ukraine.” “The urgency is clear: the EU will do everything possible to comply, and it will do it quickly”says Borrell.

The plan approved by the Twenty-seven in March to supply Ukraine with one million shells within a year It consists of two central pillars. The most immediate thing is that the European governments urgently send to Ukraine the howitzers they still have in their arsenals. To push the capitals, the EU has already approved a first tranche of 1,000 million euros from the Peace Support Fund. 66% of this money has already been spent, according to Borrell assures.

[La UE aprueba el plan de Borrell para enviar a Ucrania un millón de proyectiles de artillería]

The problem has arisen with the second pillar of the plan, the massive joint purchase program for ammunition 155 caliber, which must also have European funding of €1 billion. A program that contemplates two options: either carry out the acquisitions centrally through the European Defense Agency (EDA), or through coalitions of at least three countries.

From the beginning, Poland, the Baltics or the Netherlands They opted for maximum flexibility in joint purchases, without even excluding non-EU countries such as South Korea. For this group, the absolute priority is deliver the ammunition to Ukraine as quickly as possible so you can stop the Russian troops and mount a counteroffensive.

At the opposite extreme, France has always argued that European money should be spent solely on the Community military industry. In the March agreement, the Paris theses were imposed: Borrell announced that purchases should only be made “to the European and Norwegian defense industry”. “We accepted this solution because we wanted to reach a consensus as soon as possible,” explains an Eastern diplomat.

However, when it comes to specifying the meaning of this ‘Made in Europe’, a bitter dispute has arisen between the Member States that blocks any decision. Poland and its allies accuse Paris of trying to exclude EU arms companies that use components from non-EU countries. “France is pressing to limit the list of companies exclusively to those with a 100% supply chain in the EU,” say the sources consulted.

This definition would exclude, for example, German companies, which use materials from South Africa or Australia.

For its part, the Government of Emmanuel Macron denies being responsible for the blockade and accuses the Eastern countries of trying to reopen the March deal through the back door. Of course, France insists that joint purchases of ammunition must be limited to companies that have industrial activity in Europe, and cannot benefit companies that are dedicated solely to the importation of projectiles, reports another diplomat.

The dispute will be addressed again at the meeting of EU foreign ministers to be held this Monday in Brussels, although an immediate solution is not expected. The head of Spanish diplomacy, Jose Manuel Albareswill defend a “fair balance” that guarantees both immediate support for Ukraine and the development of the European military industry, abandoning maximalist positions.