Munich Security Conference: Lack of leadership by France and Germany prevents EU from strengthening defense cooperation

The European Union cannot step up defense cooperation, as a full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war would require, because France and Germany lack political leadership on the issue.

Reuters writes about this with reference to the report of the Munich Security Conference.

It notes that Berlin and Paris are inactive, while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the EUʼs top diplomat Josep Borrell are pushing for EU support for Ukraine and joint procurement initiatives.

Germany has been criticized for its "absence" in EU defense matters, and France for looking after its own industrial interests rather than collective European interests.

The report states that the slow response of the two countries to a full-scale war, the delay in the supply of weapons to Ukraine, and the neglect of Eastern European countriesʼ concerns about Russia have undermined their trust in Eastern Europe and harmed joint defense initiatives.

• In April, the publication Politico wrote that France and Poland argued over the inhibition of the EUʼs plan to supply Ukraine with a million ammunitions. France wanted to keep the money within the bloc, while Poland said the French were only complicating the ongoing negotiations.
• On March 20, EU member states agreed to purchase one million 155 mm ammunition for the Armed Forces over the next 12 months. In the EU, there are three directions: one billion euros for immediate delivery, one billion euros for joint procurement, as well as a mandate to increase production capacity.
• Currently, the defense industry of the European Union is capable of producing approximately 25 000 shells per month. According to the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksiy Reznikov, in order to repel enemy attacks and launch a counteroffensive, about 90 000-100 000 munitions of 155 and 105 mm caliber are needed per month.