Paris Refuses Arms Purchase Plan for Kyiv; Macron Stands Firm
According to the English section of webangah News Agency, citing Mehr News Agency, Politico reported on a recent Washington-NATO agreement for the sale of American weapons to the military alliance, which would then transfer them to Ukraine. The report noted that France will not take part in this plan.
The newspaper wrote that during a joint meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a list of countries prepared to participate in this initiative but did not mention France.
Politico added that French President Emmanuel Macron has long urged Europeans to strengthen and develop their defense industries by purchasing weapons from domestic manufacturers.
The report stated that because of this very reason, Paris will not join the initiative to buy American weapons. The French government is also facing rising defense costs and is trying to reduce its budget while controlling a significant fiscal deficit.
On July 11, Politico had reported that Trump was considering sending a new military aid package worth hundreds of millions of dollars to Ukraine. According to the newspaper, if approved, this would be the first military aid from the trump administration sent directly to kyiv.
During a joint press conference at the White House on Monday with Mark Rutte, Trump unveiled an agreement involving arms sales through NATO destined for Ukraine.
