In his opinion, the problem is not that European industry is not capable of producing more ammunition, but that part of the production is exported to third countries.
“The best way to sell more to Ukraine or donate more to Ukraine is to try to tell others: ‘Please wait, you are not at war. You can wait a few months and redirect these products to Ukraine.” This is a political decision that must be made by EU member states,” Borrell said.
He said that he tried to convey this point to fellow ministers the other day and suggested that such exports should be stopped. However, only EU member states can decide on this.
A million shells from the EU
Let us remind you that at the beginning of May 2023 The EU Council approved the decision on assistance for Ukraine in the amount of one billion euros for joint procurement of ammunition and missiles.
It was planned that European countries would provide Ukraine with a million shells by March 2024. It is known that EU countries were unable to fully implement the plan. According to Bloomberg, the EU will be able to provide Ukraine with 600,000 ammunition by March.
During his address to the European Council, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky emphasized that Europe should not lose to global competition. He recalled that North Korea supplies Russia with a million shells.
Borrell later said that Ukraine would receive half of the million artillery shells promised by the European Union by March 2024.
Read urgent and important messages about Russia’s war against Ukraine on the channel RBC-Ukraine on Telegram.
2024-02-05 19:11:57
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