Borrell calls for EU to speed up transfers of ammunition to Ukraine
Josep Borrell (Photo:REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo)
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has called for the transfer of ammunition from the stocks of European armies to Ukraine, the European External Relations Service, the EU’s diplomatic arm, reported on Feb. 20.
During a press conference held by the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on Feb.20, Borrell said that the coming weeks of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine would be decisive and that the aggressor country is drawing “350,000 soldiers – almost twice as many as at the beginning of the (full-scale) war” to the front lines. He stressed that allies should continue their “unwavering” support for Ukraine until it wins.
“As I have said several times in recent days, the Ukrainian army urgently needs a large amount of ammunition to repel Russian aggression,” he stated.
“You can have guns, but guns need bullets — especially tanks and artillery.”
“It is the most urgent issue,” Borrell said on Feb. 20 as he arrived for a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.
“If we fail on that, the result of the war is in danger.”
Borrell noted that Russian forces fire about 50,000 rounds a day.
“Ukraine needs to be at the same level of capacity,” he insisted.
“They have artillery, but they lack ammunition.”
The diplomat added that the European Union should increase the capabilities of European industry in order to speed up production. Joint procurement at the EU level “to meet the urgent needs of Ukraine” is also possible, he said.
Borrell also told reporters in Brussels that he expects EU approval of a new round of sanctions against Moscow to come soon.
“In the coming weeks, the best way to provide Ukraine with ammunition is to share the existing ammunition stocks of European armies,” Borrell emphasized.
“We don’t have to wait for them to be made. You should use what is already made and in stock or contracted and will be made in the coming days. Priority should be given to supplies for the Ukrainian army – as much as possible.”
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