France to use part of 1.4 billion euros, matching interest on EU-confiscated Russian assets, to finance the purchase of military equipment for Ukraine under a European deal agreed in the spring. This was announced today by the French Ministry of the Armed Forces, reported France Press, quoted by BTA.
This means that France will have an amount of 300 million euros available for the current year.
About 200 billion euros of Russian assets were frozen by the EU after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, of which about 90 percent are located in Belgium, where the international deposit authority Euroclear is headquartered.
In May, EU member states reached an agreement to use the interest from these frozen assets of the Russian central bank.
In July, the EU announced the unblocking of 1.5 billion euros in aid to Ukraine, corresponding to the first tranche of profits on frozen assets.
The frozen assets are believed to be the source of between 2.5 and 3 billion euros a year to help arm Ukraine and rebuild it after the war.
Russia defined this decision as illegal.
In June, the leaders of the G7 countries also reached political agreement on a similar measure.
Spain will provide new military supplies to strengthen Ukraine's defense in its war against Russia, Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles said on Friday, Reuters reported, citing BNR.
During the Ukrainian Defense Contact Group meeting in Germany, Robles announced that Spain would immediately transfer a full HAWK battery to Ukraine, including six missile launchers already deployed in Poland. The minister also revealed that the Spanish defense industry is preparing new supplies of materials for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
In addition, Robles revealed that her country will offer new training courses to Ukrainian military personnel under the European Union's Military Assistance Mission in Support of Ukraine, with the aim of training more than 6,000 soldiers by the end of 2024.