Friday media review; Asad loses another large city; Poland fights for money

"Poland is fighting for money from the European Union for arms"
"The next phase of the European Defence manufacture (EDIP) programme was to be completed by the end of December. However, negotiations will most likely be extended and moved to the half-year of the Polish Presidency. But I don't think the program's gonna start in the first half of the year. EUR 1.5 billion – this budget is expected to have an EDIP from 2025 to 2027, an EU initiative to support the European defence industry. Its objectives are to strengthen the competitiveness and responsiveness of the defence industry, to guarantee the availability and supply of arms and to advance cooperation with Ukraine on reconstruction, reconstruction and modernisation of its defence industry. This is simply a tool for implementing a fresh strategy for the European defence manufacture published in early March. What is crucial is that, on the basis of this programme, far more resources will be allocated in the future than the EUR 1.5 billion mentioned. Therefore, negotiations on the draft regulation are very crucial for the Polish defence industry. Especially due to the fact that in 2 programmes preceding EDIP – in EDIRPA (common purchases) and ASAP (ammunition programme) Polish armaments from the full budget 800 million euro gained only... EUR 2 million, 0.25% of the full available amount."