EU to provide Ukraine with 170,000 shells by end of March
Dmytro Kuleba and Josep Borrell (photo: Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
By the end of March, the European Union will have delivered nearly 170,000 artillery shells to Ukraine, states Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba after meeting the head of EU diplomacy Josep Borrell.
"The absolute priority now is artillery shells. By the end of March, the EU plans to supply almost 170,000 shells to Ukraine and is working to further increase the volume of supplies," the minister emphasized.
Kuleba said that at the meeting he thanked Borrell for his leadership and support over the past two years, in particular for the historic decisions to provide weapons to Ukraine, impose sanctions against Russia, start negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU, and support the peace formula.
"Many improvements and decisions are still to come, and we are working together to ensure they are made quickly," he added.
Shortage of shells
The Ukrainian military is currently experiencing a shortage of artillery shells due to problems with supplies from the United States, which directly affects the situation at the front. In particular, the Ukrainian Armed Forces recently had to retreat from Avdiivka.
However, the European Union has promised to help Ukraine with shells. In early May 2023, the EU Council approved a decision to provide one billion euros in aid to Ukraine for joint purchases of ammunition and missiles.
It was planned that European countries would provide Ukraine with one million shells by March 2024. However, the EU failed to meet the deadline, so it continues to work on this issue.
In February, Czech President Petr Pavel said that Prague had found 800,000 shells for Ukraine abroad, but needed help with financing to ensure the supply.
And recently, military support packages, which will include artillery shells, were announced by Britain and Spain.
