France, Italy opt out of US-NATO arms deal for Ukraine:Report

France and Italy will not take part in a new NATO-led initiative to finance the delivery of U.S. weapons to Ukraine, Politico and La Stampa reported on Wednesday July 16, citing undisclosed government officials in both countries. France has backed off from a U.S.-led plan for European nations to buy American weapons for Ukraine. According to media reports, France said it is instead focusing on strengthening its own domestic defense industry. Meanwhile, the UK and Germany were among the most eager nations to participate in the plan. Under this scheme, NATO will purchase advanced arms from the U.S., including air defense systems, and deliver some of them to Ukraine.

This comes amid French President Emmanuel Macron’s announcement of doubling the country’s defense budget and his long-standing appeal to European countries to develop their own defense industries instead of purchasing foreign weapons. Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump said that Patriot missiles are already being shipped to Ukraine. They will be supplied from Germany, which will then replenish its own stock. Russia, however, has slammed the move, stating that weapon supplies to Ukraine are an impediment to the peace process and delay any form of resolution.

Italy has taken a similar position. According to La Stampa, Italian officials ruled out direct purchases of U.S. weapons, citing fiscal limitations and the country's focus on different technological systems, such as the Italian-French-made SAMP/T air defense system already supplied to Ukraine. Italian Defense Ministry sources stressed that the decision should not be seen as a lack of support for Ukraine, but rather as a call to explore alternative ways to contribute to the broader effort.

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski argued that the cost of arming Ukraine should not fall on European taxpayers but be covered by Russia's frozen assets instead. "I asked my fellow foreign ministers: Who should pay for American equipment? Should it be European taxpayers, or, in my opinion, should the aggressor pay for it using its frozen funds?" Sikorski said after a meeting of EU foreign ministers, according to the Polish Press Agency.