Victory for France-backed 'Buy European' approach to defence spending

Arms companies from the US, UK and Turkey will be excluded from a new €150bn EU defence funding push unless their home countries sign defence and security pacts with Brussels.

The planned fund for capitals to spend on weapons would only be open to EU defence companies and those from third countries that have signed defence agreements with the bloc, officials said on Wednesday.

It would also exclude any advanced weapons systems upon which a third country had "design authority" — restrictions on its construction or use of particular components — or control over its eventual use, the officials added.

That would exclude the US Patriot air and missile defence platform, which is manufactured by defence contractor RTX, and other US weapons systems where Washington has restrictions on where they can be used.

The policy is a victory for France and other countries that have demanded a "Buy European" approach to the continent's defence investment push, amid fears over the long-term dependability of the US as a defence partner and supplier sparked by President Donald Trump.

At least 65 per cent of the cost of the products would need to be spent in the EU, Norway and Ukraine. EU member states would not be able to spend the money on products "where there can be a control on the use or the destination of that weapon . . . It would be a real problem if equipment acquired by countries cannot be used because a third country would object," one of the officials said.

The UK has lobbied hard to be included in the initiative, particularly given its key role in a European "coalition of the willing" aimed at bolstering the continent's defence capabilities. UK defence companies, including BAE Systems and Babcock International, are deeply integrated into the defence industry of EU countries such as Italy and Sweden. If third countries such as the US, UK and Turkey wanted to participate in the initiative, they would need to sign a defence and security partnership with the EU, officials said.

Talks between London and Brussels on such a pact have begun but have become embroiled in demands for a larger EU-UK agreement that would also include controversial issues such as fishing rights and migration. The exclusion of the UK and Turkey will create major headaches for big European defence companies with close ties to producers or suppliers in those markets.

Asked about the UK's position on the rules for the new EU fund on Tuesday, a British official said: "We stand ready to work together on European defence in the interests of wider European security to prevent fragmentation in European defence markets and to create legal structures to allow member states to partner with third countries." The move will cause significant consternation in Britain's defence sector. One senior UK defence industry insider said it was a "considerable concern", adding: "We see a huge amount of opportunity and it's right the UK is seen as part of Europe.

But if the EU — and especially France — is going to be transactional about this, it undermines the entire philosophy of a joint and unified Europe in defence and security terms."

Previous French efforts to ringfence defence spending for EU companies only have met with stiff resistance from countries such as Germany, Italy, Sweden and the Netherlands that have close ties with non-EU defence producers. The proposal needs to be approved by a majority of EU states. Under the terms of the plan, EU countries would be able to spend the loans on products using components from Norway, South Korea, Japan, Albania, Moldova, North Macedonia and Ukraine, officials said.

EU To Exclude US, UK and Turkey From €150bn Rearmament Fund

Canada is in advanced talks with the European Union to join the bloc's new project to expand its military industry, a move that would allow Canada to be part of building European fighter jets and other military equipment at its own industrial facilities.

The budding defense cooperation between Canada and the European Union, which is racing to shore up its industry to lower reliance on the United States, would boost Canada's military manufacturers and offer the country a new market at a time when its relationship with the United States has become frayed.

Shaken by a crisis in the two nations' longstanding alliance since President Trump's election, Canada has started moving closer to Europe. The military industry collaboration with the European Union highlights how traditional U.S. allies are deepening their ties without U.S. participation to insulate themselves from Mr. Trump's unpredictable moves.

Canada's new leader, Prime Minister Mark Carney, this week made Paris and London the destinations of his first overseas trip since taking office on Friday, calling Canada "the most European of non-European countries."

Two officials, one from the European Union and one from Canada, with direct knowledge of the discussions said detailed talks were underway to incorporate Canada into the European Union's new defense initiative. The goal is to boost the E.U.'s defense industry and eventually offer a credible alternative to the United States, which is now dominant.

Specifically, the officials said, Canada would be able to become part of the European military manufacturing roster, marketing its industrial facilities to build European systems like the Saab Gripen jet, a competitor to the American F-35, which is made by Lockheed Martin.

Menaced by Trump, Canada Prepares to Join E.U. Military Industry Efforts

Unbelievable. Several U.S. national security agencies have halted coordinated efforts to counter Russian sabotage, disinformation, and cyberattacks—easing pressure on Russia as part of Trump’s appeasement policy, per Reuters.

www.reuters.com/world/us-sus...

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— NOELREPORTS (@noelreports.com) 19 March 2025 at 08:49

After Putin's conversation with Trump, Russia launched strikes on energy infrastructure, hospitals, and transportation, firing 150 drones, says Zelensky.

He once again reiterated that Ukraine will never recognize occupied territories as Russian – that's a "red line."

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— NOELREPORTS (@noelreports.com) 19 March 2025 at 10:32

Zelensky: "I’ll have a call with Trump today. We will definitely win this war." He added, "Without U.S. intel, we wouldn’t know where Russian ballistic missiles are heading – but we have our own intelligence." On peace, he stated, "Putin shouldn't demand halting aid to Ukraine if he wants peace."

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— NOELREPORTS (@noelreports.com) 19 March 2025 at 10:34

"I’m not going to discuss with the Russians what our army should look like," – Zelensky. He added that Putin's promises alone are not enough. There needs to be control, and the U.S. should be the main subject of that control. "If Russia stops attacking our facilities, we will stop attacking theirs."

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— NOELREPORTS (@noelreports.com) 19 March 2025 at 10:36

175 Ukrainian POWs have been freed, along with 22 more returning outside of exchanges. Among them—severely wounded soldiers & those persecuted by Russia. This is one of the largest swaps, with troops from Azovstal, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson & beyond.

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— NOELREPORTS (@noelreports.com) 19 March 2025 at 14:11

Trump’s envoy Whitcoff parrots Russian MoD’s nonsense about Putin’s "ban" on striking Ukraine’s energy sector & claims that 7 Shaheds were shot down by Russia itself. He says Putin "gave the order 10 min after his call with Trump" & insists the dictator is acting in "good faith."

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— NOELREPORTS (@noelreports.com) 19 March 2025 at 15:40

Straight up Kremlin talking points, and what about the other 30+ drones? Lol.

Complete bullshit, America looks so damn embarrassing, "no Putin didn't make a mockery of us!"

🇺🇸⚡️ Trump proposed U.S. ownership and management of Ukraine’s energy plants during a call with Zelensky, saying it would be the “best protection” for the country’s infrastructure, per a White House statement.

au.news.yahoo.com/ukraine-russ...

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— NOELREPORTS (@noelreports.com) 19 March 2025 at 18:14

Changed his mind, now he wants Ukraine's energy sector, Lol.

One of those plants are in Russian territory so feel free to go liberate it, Trump.

🇩🇪⚡ Germany to release an additional €3B in military aid for Ukraine this year after lawmakers approved a fiscal overhaul, per Reuters. Finance Minister Kukies also plans to authorize €8.25B for Ukraine from 2026-2029, bringing total aid to over €11B.

www.reuters.com/world/europe...

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— NOELREPORTS (@noelreports.com) 19 March 2025 at 18:19

Zelensky shared details of his call with Trump, confirming Trump relayed his conversation with Putin.

Ukraine agreed to halt strikes on energy infrastructure if Russia does the same. The U.S. proposed a full ceasefire along the front line, and Ukraine accepted.

suspilne.media/974665-ukrai...

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— NOELREPORTS (@noelreports.com) 19 March 2025 at 18:06

Partial ceasefire has not begun, despite White House statement about agreement between Kyiv and Moscow to halt attacks on energy infrastructure – Sky News. Technical conditions are still missing, and the issue of ceasefire control remains unresolved.

news.sky.com/story/trump-...

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— NOELREPORTS (@noelreports.com) 19 March 2025 at 18:40

A new dedicated instrument for Security Action for Europe – SAFE:

In light of the current exceptional circumstances, the Commission will raise up to €150 billion on the capital markets, drawing on its well-established unified funding approach to help EU Member States rapidly and substantially increase investments in Europe's defence capabilities. These funds will be disbursed to interested Member States upon demand, on the basis of national plans.

The disbursements will take the form of competitively priced and attractively structured long-maturity loans, to be repaid by the beneficiary Member States. The loans will be backed by the EU budget's headroom. SAFE will allow Member States to immediately and massively scale up their defence investments through common procurement from the European defence industry, focusing on priority capabilities. This will contribute to ensuring interoperability, predictability, and reducing costs for a strong European defence industrial base. Ukraine and EFTA/EEA countries will be able to join common procurements, and it will be possible for buy from their industries.

SAFE will also allow acceding countries, candidate countries, potential candidates and countries having signed a Security and Defence Partnerships with the EU to join common procurements and contribute to aggregated demand. They can also negotiate specific, mutually beneficial agreements on the participation of their respective industries in such procurements.

Commission unveils the White Paper for European Defence and the ReArm Europe Plan/Readiness 2030

The State Department has ended funding for the tracking of tens of thousands of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia, and American officials or contractors might have deleted a database with information on them, according to a letter U.S. lawmakers sent to Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday.

The work on the abducted children by the Yale School of Public Health Humanitarian Research Lab was frozen when President Trump signed an executive order in late January halting almost all foreign aid spending. Since then, Mr. Rubio and an official under him, Pete Marocco, have ended the vast majority of foreign aid contracts, including the one to the Yale lab.

The bipartisan congressional letter, signed by 17 lawmakers and organized by Representative Greg Landsman, Democrat of Ohio, said that "the foreign aid freeze has jeopardized, and may ultimately eliminate, our informational support of Ukraine on this front."

The State Department and the Yale center "had been preserving evidence of abducted children from Ukraine it had identified, to be shared with Europol and the government of Ukraine to secure their return," the letter said, according to a copy obtained by The New York Times. Europol is the main law enforcement agency of the European Union. The letter was also addressed to Scott Bessent, the Treasury secretary.

"We have reason to believe that the data from the repository has been permanently deleted," it said. "If true, this would have devastating consequences. Can you please update us as to the status of the data from the evidence repository?"

A person familiar with the Yale center's work said the details in the letter were accurate.

Trump Administration Ends Tracking of Kidnapped Ukrainian Children in Russia - The New York Times

Trump is effectively allowing human trafficking of children and yet he had the gall to throw stones at Epstein and his island when this is no better but destroying evidence. 

Ukraine Triple Taps Russia’s Engels Bomber Base. Ukraine hit the base 3X in the last 10 weeks. I guessing that the base was named after Marx's buddy Fredriech Engels? Anyway, this is another formidable blow by ukraine and a symbolic one against communazis



https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2025/03/20/ukraine-triple-taps-russias-engels-bomber-base/