France will reach the objective of 2% of GDP in military spending, recommended by NATO, in 2024, French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu said in Brussels on Thursday.
“France will meet the 2% objective given by NATO, 2% of GDP in the year 2024,” affirmed Sébastien Lecornu upon his arrival at the Alliance headquarters in Brussels. France, which has decided to double its military budget by 2030 compared to 2019, had until now indicated that it would achieve this objective of 2% in 2025.
“The real question now is not so much to obtain this 2%, even if it is a subject which seems to fascinate many people, it is obviously to ensure that this 2% of GDP be truly useful in the military field,” added Sébastien Lecornu.
78 Caesar cannons to Ukraine
The minister confirmed that France would deliver 78 Caesar cannons to Ukraine this year, and specified that he had met with European Commissioner Thierry Breton, responsible for defense issues, to examine ways to develop powder production capacities. cannon or ammunition in Europe.
Ukraine, which lacks ammunition on the battlefield, is demanding an acceleration of deliveries promised by the West. But the blocking of aid promised by the United States and delays on the European side have forced the Ukrainians to save their ammunition in the face of much better equipped Russian forces, a NATO official said on Wednesday.
“We are already seeing the impact of the fact that the United States was not able to make a decision,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday.