The European divisions: France and Italy stall EU push to deliver ammunition to Kyiv

Some like it hot – Europe's top diplomat Kaja Kallas loves to play with guns.
Photo: Reuters

The EU’s top foreign policy official, Kaja Kallas, proposed delivering as much as €40 billion in military aid this year, but the plan was narrowed to focus on the ammunition component after several countries balked, Bloomberg reports.

An effort by European Union leaders to deliver €5 billion ($5.4 billion) to secure ammunition for Ukraine this year was held up by France and Italy, European diplomats said, another sign of the challenges the bloc faces in replacing US support for Kyiv.

While most of the 27 member states meeting in Brussels on Thursday have rallied around earmarking crucial financing for military assistance, France and Italy are stalling at committing to specific financial volumes, said diplomats, who were granted anonymity to discuss closed-door conversations.

With US President Donald Trump pushing for a ceasefire, President Vladimir Putin made it clear he wants a halt in arms deliveries to Ukraine in any broader deal, which further complicates the EU’s push to bolster Kyiv.

Discussions in Brussels showed that putting up €5 billion for the purchase of 2 million artillery rounds will be a tall order. The EU’s top foreign policy official, Kaja Kallas, said she still aimed for leaders to sign off on at least part of that plan.

The divisions underscored the risk that the bloc remains hamstrung in backing Ukraine’s effort to fend off Russian forces after three years of war — even as it’s pledged to stand by Kyiv in the face of Trump’s overtures to the Kremlin for a quick end to the conflict.

Kallas has put forward a proposal for EU members to deliver as much as €40 billion in military aid this year, stepping up after €20 billion flowed to Kyiv in 2024. Assistance would be voluntary, but participants would be encouraged to make contributions in cash or equipment in proportion to their respective economies. After several countries balked, the debate was narrowed to focus this week on the ammunition component.

France and Italy, the EU’s second- and third-largest economies, resisted putting outsized numbers on the table, the diplomats said.

Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo threw his weight behind the initiative — and lamented the headwinds it faced from some EU capitals. Many countries are not “performing adequately” when it comes to arms deliveries to Ukraine, he said.

Leaders in Brussels pored over Trump’s diplomatic overtures to Moscow after his phone diplomacy this week with Putin and Zelenskiy secured a commitment to halt attacks on energy infrastructure — but fell short of a general ceasefire pursued by the White House.

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