A small group of European countries – including Cyprus – is reportedly blocking attempts to use EU funds for weapon purchases outside the bloc.
Media reports – citing three EU diplomats – says a group led by France is preventing attempts due to the need for European arms manufacturers to secure orders to justify increased production.
RCB-Ukraine reports that at a meeting of the EU Policy and Security Committee this week, most EU countries expressed support for allowing the use of EU funds to purchase munitions manufactured outside the European Union as an emergency measure to assist Ukraine.
However, France, Greece, and Cyprus objected.
The report adds France also abstains from disclosing the total amount of its deliveries to Ukraine, despite pressure from Berlin.
Separately, a new UN-backed study estimates that Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction efforts in the aftermath of the crisis will cost 486 billion U.S. dollars over the next decade, marking an increase from the 411 billion dollars projected a year ago.
The updated Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA3), a collaborative effort by the Ukrainian government, the World Bank Group, the European Commission, and the United Nations, assesses the damages incurred since the onset of the crisis on Feb. 24, 2022, up until the end of December last year.
