France Falls Short of €3 Billion Military Aid Target for Ukraine Due to Budget Deficit

Due to a budget deficit, France will fall short of its initial military aid target for Ukraine this year, and will not reach the anticipated €3 billion mark.

This was reported by Politico, citing the French Defense Minister, Sébastien Lecornu.

"Politically it was decided at the beginning of 2024 that this aid could reach €3 billion. In reality, we will be above €2 billion but not at €3 billion,” Lecornu said.

In February, France and Ukraine took a significant step toward securing long-term aid for Ukraine by signing a bilateral security agreement, officially pledging up to €3 billion in military support for 2024.

“France provided Ukraine with a total of €1.7 billion in military aid in 2022 and of €2.1 billion in 2023. In 2024, France will provide up to 3 billion euros in additional support,” the press-release on the agreement stated.

Like Germany, France was forced to cut its military aid spending in an effort to reduce its budget deficit, which could reach 6% of GDP in 2024.

Lecornu’s comments come at a time when Nordic and Baltic countries are ramping up their support. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis told Politico that "the latest data shows [...] the Nordic-Baltic group, if taken as a unit, is the second-largest military provider to Ukraine, after the US."

On October 10, during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit to Paris, he presented the details of the Victory Plan to French President Emmanuel Macron. The two leaders discussed its specific points and agreed to collaborate with allies to further develop the plan in the near future.