Polish defence min argues for defence purchases from outside EU
Poland advocates for EU refunds of purchases of defence equipment also from non-EU countries in the face of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Mariusz Błaszczak, the country's defence minister has said.
EU defence ministers met in Prague on Tuesday to discuss the consequences of Russia's war in Ukraine, support for Kyiv and shortages in defence equipment following the donations of weaponry that EU countries made to Ukraine to help it stem the Russian invasion.
"Poland's proposal is that the (EU) refunding should also apply to purchases of military equipment from outside the European Union," Błaszczak said.
According to the Polish minister, "a minority of EU countries that have well-developed defence industries are trying to protect their markets at the expense of providing military equipment to countries that support Ukraine."
The defence minister also criticised the size of the European Peace Facility, an EU off-budget fund worth EUR 5 billion over a seven-year horizon, and said it should be expanded.
Poland has handed over a considerable amount of tanks, howitzers, anti-aircraft weapons and other military equipment to Ukraine. Warsaw still has not received replacement tanks from Germany, which Berlin promised to pass on to Warsaw to compensate it for the Ukraine aid.
