PRAGUE (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Friday, at the end of the European summit in Prague, the creation of a special fund for the military equipment of Ukraine, which will be endowed with 100 million euros in a first time.
“We took the decision to create a special fund” to support the Ukrainian war effort against the Russian army, which invaded the country on February 24, he said during a press conference.
“This dedicated special fund will initially be endowed with 100 million euros to be able to acquire equipment that corresponds to what we have already been able to deliver,” he said. It “will allow Ukraine to buy directly from our manufacturers the materials it needs the most.”
“We continue in the same category of weapons,” he continued, that is, defensive artillery pieces.
France has already provided Ukraine with 18 155 mm Caesar guns with a range of 40 km, mounted on trucks, and other military equipment.
Emmanuel Macron announced Thursday, after the inaugural meeting of the European Political Community in Prague, that Paris was considering delivering additional Caesars to Kyiv.
“We are having discussions, in particular with our Danish partners, to deliver Caesars,” he said on Friday. Guns could indeed be taken from an order destined for Denmark.
(With the contribution of Michel Rose, written by Nicolas Delame and Sophie Louet, edited by Matthieu Protard)
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