France will not fulfill its promise to provide up to 3 billion euros military aid to Ukraine this year and is on track to provide only “more than 2 billion euros”. This was stated by the Minister of the Armed Forces Sebastien Lecorneu before the deputies on Monday, reports Politico, quoted by BTA.
„At the beginning of 2024, a political decision was made that this aid could amount to 3 billion euros. In fact, we will exceed 2 billion euros, but not 3 billion”, he noted.
French President Emmanuel Macron had pledged earlier in the year to send up to 3 billion euros as part of efforts to increase aid to Ukraine after France was criticized for contributing less than other countries such as Germany .
However, France is now under pressure to reduce its budget deficit, which could reach 6% of GDP in 2024.
France's defense budget is expected to reach 50.5 billion euros next year, one of the few budget items with a planned increase. Lecornu explained to MPs that the Ministry of Armed Forces will stop asking for additional funds at the end of the year for contingencies related to the deployment of NATO in Estonia and Romania or aid to Ukraine.
The €300m aid to Ukraine comes from interest on frozen Russian assets and will be used to buy 155mm artillery ammunition, Caesar self-propelled howitzers and fuel. Between €400 and €600 million will be generated from lower inflation rates and will be used to repair SCALP and Aster missiles for Ukraine.