EU leaders have approved a plan to deliver 1 million rounds of artillery ammunition to Ukraine over the course of the next 12 months to aid in the resistance against Russian invasion.
The strategy was already authorised by EU foreign and defence ministers earlier this week, and leaders endorsed it politically. On Thursday at their regularly scheduled spring summit in Brussels (24 March).
Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, thanked them by video call. According to EU authorities, he also sought for planes and long-range weapons.
At previous summit last month, Estonia’s prime minister Kaja Kallas had advocated for the shipment of ammunition to Ukraine. Because the country is experiencing shortages a year after beginning its defence against Russian forces.
We all need to restock our own supplies as well as send weapons to Ukraine. Fast delivery of ammunition to Ukraine is essential because it could influence the course of this battle. Kallas declared as she arrived at the Thursday meeting.
According to the EU plan, EU nations will supply Ukraine with ammunition from their own inventories before making combined ammunition. Purchases for both themselves and Ukraine. Thirdly, the EU’s arms industry will increase output.
According to Eduard Heger, prime minister of Slovakia, “Ukraine is safeguarding her land, shielding civilians being slaughtered by Russian bombs, we are just doing what is right, aiding them, and I am not worried about escalation.”
We all need to restock our own supplies as well as send weapons to Ukraine. Fast delivery of ammunition to Ukraine is essential because it could influence the course of this battle, Kallas declared as she arrived at the Thursday meeting.
According to the EU plan, EU nations will supply Ukraine with ammunition from their own inventories before making combined ammunition purchases for both themselves and Ukraine. Thirdly, the EU’s arms industry will increase output.
According to Eduard Heger, prime minister of Slovakia, “Ukraine is safeguarding her land, shielding civilians being slaughtered by Russian bombs, we are just doing what is right, aiding them, and I am not worried about escalation.”
Premier Krijnis Kari of Latvia said: “Ukraine is fighting for our fundamental principles. We must ensure that we can provide them with the weapons they need to win this battle “.
The ministers’ decision to “urgently deliver ground-to-ground and artillery ammunition to Ukraine. If requested, missiles, including through joint procurement and the mobilisation of appropriate funding including through the European Peace Facility [EPF]”.
Among other decisions, was applauded by EU leaders in their written conclusions. They also agreed to provide 1 million rounds of artillery ammunition jointly.
From the EPF, an EU fund from which €7 billion has been designated to aid Ukraine, the EU has set aside €1 billion for the procurement of shells and perhaps missiles.
The Nato secretary general told the Guardian newspaper earlier this week that Ukraine’s use of artillery shells—4,000 to 7,000 per day, compared to Russia’s 20,000 to 50,000—was outpacing Western manufacturing capability.
Jens Stoltenberg stated that “the present pace of ammunition spending is larger than the current manufacturing rate.”
Last week, 17 EU nations and Norway committed to a two-year fast-track procurement arrangement for 155mm artillery rounds and a seven-year scheme to buy various ammunition types as part of the European initiative.
