LONDON: France has opposed the purchase of long-range Storm Shadow missiles from the UK for the needs of the Ukrainian army as part of a 90 ...
LONDON: France has opposed the purchase of long-range Storm Shadow missiles from the UK for the needs of the Ukrainian army as part of a 90 billion euro aid package, according to The Daily Telegraph.
It said that under the package, priority should be given to EU companies when buying weapons for Kiev. A coalition of a dozen European countries - the Baltic states and Scandinavia, as well as Poland, Romania, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands - supported simplification of rules for Ukraine on this military loan, which would allow Kiev to purchase weapons from the UK, but Paris proposed to give priority to EU companies.
A diplomat, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity, called France an "obvious opponent." British diplomats are negotiating with the EU, but they are also being urged to actively establish contacts with the European Commission and the European Parliament, where France has a significant influence over security committees.
The Daily Telegraph cites the Ukrainian military as saying their needs for weapons manufactured outside the EU stand at 24 billion euros, including Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems and PAC-3 missiles manufactured in the United States, as well as long-range missiles, which European countries are unlikely to be able to supply to Kiev. The coalition believes that in this case Britain could transfer its Storm Shadow to Ukraine.
In mid-January, Politico reported that the EU countries had disagreed on arms purchases for Ukraine as part of a 90 billion euro aid package. Germany and the Netherlands believe that part of the amount should be spent on the purchase of American weapons, while France insists that priority should be given to European manufacturers.
-News Feed
COMMENTS