EU to approve joint purchase of ammunition for Ukraine next week, Bloomberg reports
Ukrainian defender in the area of Bakhmut (Photo:REUTERS/Marko Djurica)
The European Union will officially adopt the plan for joint purchases of ammunition for Ukraine between March 20-26, Bloomberg reported on March 13.
During an informal meeting in Stockholm on March 7-8, EU defense ministers supported the proposal of the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, to use EUR 1 billion from the European Peace Fund for immediate supply of ammunition to Ukraine from existing stocks. Borrell also said that another 1 billion euros could be used for the joint purchase of artillery shells. Bloomberg’s source reported that the volume of supply from EU stocks is unclear, and it’s unknown if it will be enough to fill Kyiv’s needs.
Estonia stated that on average, Ukraine uses 60,000 to 210,000 shells per month, while the European defense industry can only produce 25,000 shells per month. At the same time, Russia’s forces fire 20,000-60,000 artillery rounds per day.
According to Bloomberg’s source, EU countries haven’t yet decided how much additional funds they are ready to allocate this year and how these funds will be structured. Some countries believe that compulsory funding should be proportional to the size of the economy of each member state, others want contributions to be voluntary. EU leaders are scheduled to meet in Brussels on March 23-24.
On March 8, EU ambassadors approved an additional EUR 2 billion for the European Peace Fund.
According to the Financial Times, Ukraine has previously asked the EU to send 250,000 artillery rounds to the Armed Forces of Ukraine every month in order to reduce shell shortage.
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