Don’t be intimidated by Vladimir Putin’s threats. Demonstrate that France, and more broadly the European Union, remain committed alongside Ukraine. This is the message that Emmanuel Macron did his best to convey yesterday on the sidelines of an EU meeting in Prague. “France has provided military support to Ukraine since day one, with anti-tank, anti-aircraft systems, individual armaments”, began the head of state in front of journalists, as if to silence the criticisms heard here or there on the commitment of Paris in favor of kyiv.
It is now a question of going further. In particular by using solidarity within the European Union to introduce more lasting support mechanisms for kyiv. The period is favorable to the Ukrainian troops who are progressing day after day on the eastern front. With this in mind, Emmanuel Macron’s main announcement relates to the creation of a “special fund” to enable Ukraine to “purchase directly from our manufacturers the equipment it needs most to support its war effort”, detailed Emmanuel Macron.
An agreement with Denmark?
This fund will initially be topped up to 100 million euros. Paris intends to find a certain interest in it, since the Head of State has not hidden that it should also allow kyiv to “also work with the French defense industrial base”.
Another case remains pending. That of the delivery of new Caesar guns, the flagship of French artillery. kyiv demands 15 howitzers. To meet this demand, Paris hopes to conclude an unprecedented agreement. It would indeed be a question of concluding an agreement with Denmark in order to recover at least 6 guns from an order of 15 guns placed by Copenhagen in 2017.
On this point, Emmanuel Macron has not yet announced the conclusion of a formal agreement, contenting himself with indicating that the “discussions” are continuing on this point. The operation, as Le Parisien wrote on Wednesday, could be co-financed by France and Denmark, which will then have to work to replenish its stocks. Since the start of the conflict, France has already provided 18 Caesar guns. That is about a quarter of the endowment of the French Army.