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As the European Union grapples with mounting pressure to fulfil its commitment of supplying one million artillery shells to Ukraine by March, France finds itself compelled to reassess its long-standing policy of exclusively sourcing arms within the EU.<\/p>\n
A senior French diplomat revealed that France is prepared to adapt its approach if the EU falls short of the March target, marking a significant departure from its traditional stance favouring European arms procurement.<\/p>\n
They told POLITICO: “We need European preference because if we don’t encourage companies [to produce], we won’t get out of the cycle. But we know how to be flexible to help Ukraine.”<\/p>\n
The EU currently trails behind, having dispatched only about a third of the pledged one million shells.<\/p>\n
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has acknowledged the challenge of meeting the ambitious target.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: <\/strong> Putin’s FSB’ agents killed after ‘food spiked with arsenic and rat poison’<\/strong><\/p>\n Benedikta von Seherr-Tho\u00df, Managing Director of the European External Action Service, remains optimistic about fulfilling the commitment.<\/p>\n She said that even if the goal isn’t met by March, Ukraine will eventually receive the promised ammunition.<\/p>\n The urgency to supply substantial ammunition to Ukraine is straining European stockpiles and shell production, unprepared for the scale of artillery battles in the embattled country.<\/p>\n Don’t miss… <\/strong> Initially, Brussels proposed a plan to bolster ammunition shipments through existing stockpiles and a \u20ac1 billion joint procurement initiative by the European Defence Agency. However, internal disagreements emerged, with France opposing the inclusion of ammunition produced outside the EU.<\/p>\n Calls for the EU to explore external sources for ammunition are gaining momentum. Latvian President Edgars Rink\u0113vi\u010ds has been vocal about considering non-EU suppliers, underscoring the urgency of providing Ukraine with essential resources.<\/p>\n An anonymous EU diplomat reinforced this perspective, emphasssing that the primary objective is to support Ukraine’s defence, regardless of the origin of the weapons. They said: “For Ukraine, it doesn’t really matter. So that could absolutely be a question for the future.”<\/p>\n
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