Brussels demands that Ukraine buy European (and not US) weapons with the money from its loan
However, the European Union will allow Kiiv to purchase US weapons that are not available from the European industry.
BrusselsThe European Union wants to leverage the aid it sends to Ukraine to boost the European defense industry and, in turn, reduce its military dependence on the United States. This comes after European leaders... They agreed to send 90 billion euros In the form of a loan to Kyiv starting this spring, Brussels has presented the formal proposal, which includes a new condition: Ukraine will only be able to purchase US weapons with this money if the military resources it needs are not available on the EU market. "The purchases must be made in Ukraine and in the European Union. It's a lot of money, and we want these billions to be invested in creating jobs, research, and development that we need," said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at a press conference on Wednesday, also addressing the autonomy and security of the European blog. However, the proposal also opens the door for Ukraine to purchase substantial US weapons in practice. This is precisely what France wants to avoid. Paris had urged Brussels to completely veto the acquisition of US military equipment in Kyiv. However, the Netherlands had previously proposed that at least 15% of the €60 billion – the portion of the €90 billion loan earmarked strictly for defense – could be spent on US weaponry. This week, Germany also supported the Dutch proposal and urged Brussels, for example, to allow Kyiv to acquire US Patriot missile systems. In fact, these two countries are part of the historically most pro-Atlantic bloc of states, along with their Eastern European partners. It should be remembered, however, that the majority position within the European Commission is to continue buying all the weapons from the United States that European industry, at least at present, is not capable of manufacturing.
Thus, further complicated negotiations are expected in the European Parliament and among the member states, which will now have to discuss and approve the legal proposal presented by the European Commission. However, they will have to act quickly to reach an agreement. The intention is for the loan to begin being disbursed in Kyiv starting this spring.
This is not the first time that the more pro-Atlanticist bloc of EU countries, led by Germany, and the group of partners historically in favor of a more independent European military power from the Pentagon, with France at the forefront, have clashed over the purchase of US weapons. The debate was already on the table when Von der Leyen presented the EU's major rearmament plan. The intention is to prioritize the purchase of European weapons, but also allows for the acquisition of those manufactured in the United States.
On the other hand, the remaining 30 billion euros of the loan will be used to help Ukraine "advance its reforms and modernize the country." "Ukraine's commitment to strong democratic processes, the rule of law, and anti-corruption measures are non-negotiable conditions for any financial support," Von der Leyen noted. These reforms are also crucial for Ukraine's future accession to the European Union.
Trump's pressure
Brussels has set the new "Europe First" condition amid extreme tension between the European Union and the United States. Donald Trump is escalating threats to invade Greenland, a territory belonging to Denmark, an ally of both the European bloc and NATO. However, the US president is pressuring European allies to buy arms from him. The latest warning in this regard came from NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. "This is not the time to act unilaterally, to put up barriers between us, to increase costs, complicate production, and stifle innovation," the former Dutch prime minister, who remains very close to Trump, said at a press conference on Tuesday. In fact, the US president's pressure has already had an effect. In addition to abruptly cutting aid to Ukraine, which has forced European allies to redouble their efforts in Kyiv and drastically increase military spending, he has succeeded in getting them to buy more arms from him. weapons through a NATO programThe PURL (Ukraine's Priority Request List) has been joined by the vast majority of NATO allies, who have already contributed some €4 billion, according to NATO itself.