“EU Agrees to Purchase Ammunition for Ukraine Worth 1 Billion Euros”

The European Union (EU) agreed on a scheme for the joint purchase of artillery shells and missiles for Ukraine worth one billion euros. This was announced on Twitter by the President of the European Commission (EC), Ursula von der Leyen.

Negotiations over how many munitions contracts should remain in Europe have been going on for weeks, much to the chagrin of Kiev, which urgently needs munitions for its planned counter-offensive, the BBC recalls.

Details of the agreement have not yet been released.

The joint procurement scheme is part of a wider EU plan to send one million artillery shells and missiles to Ukraine over the next 12 months.

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EU foreign ministers approved the overall plan in March, but the procurement scheme has stalled as governments wrangle over the terms of the contracts.

EU countries agreed that only companies from the EU and Norway, which has close economic ties with the EU, would be included in the scheme. However, France insisted that ammunition production itself remain in Europe.

Ukraine is heroically resisting the brutal Russian invader. We stand by our promise to support Ukraine and its people, for as long as it takes.

But Ukraine’s brave soldiers need sufficient military equipment to defend their country.

Europe is stepping up its support on 3… pic.twitter.com/FImB7SSkHp

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) May 3, 2023

This position did not sit well with other EU members, including the Eastern and Baltic countries, Germany and the Netherlands, which import some necessary components from third countries, so their companies will not be able to benefit from the treaty.

They expressed skepticism about the ability of European industry to produce shells sufficiently and quickly.

We recall that legal problems halted the first-ever plan to jointly purchase ammunition for Ukraine. EU ambassadors met on Wednesday to discuss the issue but failed to make significant progress on one of the key issues, according to several diplomats familiar with the talks.

The bone of contention remains whether these arms contracts will go exclusively to EU companies (and how they are legally defined), or whether they will also be open to outside manufacturers.

France insists the money stay within EU borders, several diplomats said. Greece and Cyprus also backed Paris, a move some diplomats said was linked to their desire to avoid contracts with Turkish manufacturers.

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