Paris did not join the initiative to buy US weapons for Ukraine: what Macron insists on
Kyiv • UNN
France did not join the initiative of European countries to buy American weapons for Ukraine. President Macron insists on developing Europe's own defense-industrial base.
The French government is trying to increase its own defense spending, while Germany, the Netherlands, and a number of Scandinavian countries have decided that dealing with Trump, albeit pragmatically, is better. This is reported by UNN with reference to Politico.
Details
Germany and other European countries seem to have reached an agreement with the US administration regarding aid to Ukraine and the protection of their own interests against the backdrop of the threat from Russia. The concept is simple - if US President Trump views global politics mostly as zero-sum financial transactions, it will be much easier to agree to supply weapons to Ukraine if Europeans buy them. This will allow the US to profit. However, not everyone in Europe supported this agreement.
In the Oval Office, Rutte listed four Scandinavian countries, in addition to Great Britain and the Netherlands, as supporting the plan to supply American weapons to Ukraine.
But France was not there. Politico reminds that its president, Emmanuel Macron, has long insisted that Europeans create their own defense-industrial base. France has an interest in neighboring EU countries buying weapons locally. In an attempt to cut budget expenditures and reduce the deficit, the French government is trying to increase its own defense spending.
A different view in Germany. There, they take into account the limited European production capacities - the Merz government believes that buying American weapons is essentially the only way to quickly provide Ukraine with the necessary weapons.
There are still few details about specific arms purchases, but the German government is particularly pushing for an agreement to buy American Patriot air defense systems to protect Ukraine, Politico reports.
Recall
US President Donald Trump stated that the first Patriot air defense systems are already being shipped to European allies. According to him, the US will receive full reimbursement for the cost of weapons from the EU or NATO countries.