Borrell finds way to increase ammunition supplies to Ukraine
Josep Borrell, the head of EU diplomacy (Photo: Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
The suspension of arms exports by the European Union to other countries is the most effective way to increase ammunition supplies to Ukraine, according to a statement from the head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell, at a press conference with Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski.
According to Borrell, the issue lies not in the European industry's inability to produce more ammunition but in the fact that a portion of the production is exported to third countries.
"So, the best way of selling more to Ukraine or to donate more to Ukraine is to try to tell the others, 'Please, wait, you are not at war. You can wait some months and divert this production to Ukraine'. This is a political decision that the Member States have to take," Borrell stated.
He mentioned that he tried to convey this idea to his ministerial colleagues in recent days and proposed halting such exports. However, the decision on this matter can only be made by EU member states.
One million shells from the EU
In early May 2023, the EU Council approved a decision to assist Ukraine in the amount of one billion euros for joint purchases of ammunition and missiles.
It was planned that European countries would supply Ukraine with one million projectiles by March 2024. Currently, it is known that the EU has not been able to fulfill the plan completely. According to Bloomberg, by March, the EU will be able to provide Ukraine with 600,000 projectiles.
During his address to the Euro-Rada, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that Europe should not lose the global competition. He reminded that North Korea supplied Russia with one million projectiles.
Later, Borrell stated that Ukraine would receive half of the promised one million artillery projectiles from the European Union by March 2024.
