Germany seeks to reduce amount allocated to EU weapons for Ukraine fund
Pravda Ukraine
Germany is attempting to lower the amount it contributes to the US$20 billion European Union weapons fund for Ukraine.
Source: The Daily Telegraph with reference to a document at its disposal, as reported by European Pravda
Details: In the confidential document leaked to the press, the German side notes that the European Peace Facility ought to account for the billions of euros that Germany has bilaterally provided to Ukraine in military aid.
“Military support for Ukraine can be provided either through financial contributions to the Ukraine envelope in the EPF or as direct deliveries of military equipment to Ukraine,” the document says, to which the newspaper refers.
Berlin feels that contributions to the fund should include direct arms sales to Ukraine.
The report sparked concerns throughout European capitals that Olaf Scholz, the chancellor of Germany, might thwart any upcoming efforts by the EU to aid Ukraine in fending off the Russian invasion.
At the same time, Scholz informed his fellow European Union members that while he remained fully committed to providing financial support for Ukraine, further obligations regarding hard-to-fulfil expenses were rendered unfeasible by the recent ruling of the German constitutional court.
According to another document the publication examined, France suggests shifting its focus to “general purchases” from European arms manufacturers and is in favour of ending the European Peace Facility’s capacity to supply weapons from EU member states’ stockpiles.
EU leaders will discuss the reform of the European Peace Fund at a summit in Brussels on 14-15 December.
Boris Pistorius, Federal Minister of Defence of Germany, indirectly confirmed reports that Germany will double military aid to Kyiv by 2024, calling the plans “a strong signal to Ukraine that we will not leave it”.
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