PARIS, April 17. /TASS/. European nations are unable to approve additional support for Ukraine due to disputes over financing and the manufacture of weapons, reported the French newspaper Le Monde, citing sources in military and diplomatic circles.
According to the newspaper, Kiev's European allies have reached a diplomatic deadlock because they are not participating in the peace talks between Russia and the United States. As a result, European countries lack information about the progress of the discussions, even though the talks focus on restructuring the European security framework.
As the newspaper notes, the potential deployment of troops to Ukraine after the ceasefire has become yet another obstacle for Brussels. France supports the deployment of ground forces, while the United Kingdom advocates for the protection of Ukraine's airspace and maritime territory. London and some other members of the "coalition of the willing" are reluctant to send ground troops and are pushing for the establishment of a no-fly zone along the Russia-Ukraine border. At the same time, the financing of this operation depends on the review of the American military presence in Europe, Washington has stated.
According to Le Monde sources, the disagreement over sending troops is only the visible part of a much deeper conflict regarding the militarization of Ukraine after the conclusion of the conflict. The European Commission (EC) has proposed a rearming plan, under which part of the funds and weapons will be sent to Kiev. However, European countries have not yet reached an agreement on the funding and implementation of this plan.
Le Monde suggests that the European Union, NATO, and the governments of individual countries may reach a larger consensus on the issue of assistance to Kiev in the summer or autumn, once they agree on their budgets.
In March, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed an 800-billion-euro rearming plan, which would allow EU countries to borrow up to 150 billion euros for defense.
The EC would like to borrow this money from the capital markets, and then transfer it to the states in the form of loans, provided that they collectively purchase weapons within Europe. According to Brussels' plan, part of these funds could be used for the production of weapons for Ukraine.