France and Greece block EU funds for Turkish drones for Ukraine, cite preference for European defense

Defense Express writes about it.

The intended purchase, aimed at meeting urgent Ukrainian defense needs, faced opposition from France and Greece, who stressed the importance of supporting European defense autonomy. Greece also expressed reluctance to financially support Turkey's defense industry.

According to Opex360, the French portal, Greece stated that its decision aligns with both European defense autonomy and a desire to avoid supporting Turkey's defense sector financially. France emphasized the need for European money to be spent efficiently and to support European interests.

This veto, however, raises concerns about the timely supply of necessary defense equipment to Ukraine from other EU countries.

Opex360 notes that the EU's Peace Fund is contributed to proportionally by member states, with Germany being the largest contributor. Germany has not publicly objected to the purchase of Turkish defense products for Ukraine.

Interestingly, Opex360 highlights a past incident where Estonia used EU funds to buy non-European defense products without facing objections. The report suggests a potential inconsistency in enforcing the rule.

The authors also mention a decrease in the use of Bayraktar TB2 drones by the Ukrainian military due to effective countermeasures from Russian anti-aircraft and electronic warfare systems.