Macron criticizes EU's failure to deliver promised million shells to Ukraine
Photo: The EU must be ready to transfer the promised number of shells to Ukraine (Wikipedia.org)
The delivery of a million shells to Ukraine was a reckless commitment on the part of the European Union, stated French President Emmanuel Macron, during a press conference at the Elysée Palace following the Conference in support of Ukraine.
"It must be said that we did not have this million munitions. It was undoubtedly a reckless commitment," he said.
According to the leader, "in the very short term, you can only provide the ammunition you have in stock or that you produce precisely on time."
"Today, the initiatives we have taken will be put on the table, and in ten days, you will receive a clear answer with a serious agenda," added the President of France, specifying that not everything can be made public.
EU's delivery of a million munitions to Ukraine
In March 2023, defense and foreign affairs ministers of EU countries agreed on a plan for joint procurement of ammunition. It envisaged providing Ukraine with 1 million munitions over the next 12 months, until March 2024. Seven EU countries were supposed to contribute to the supply of ammunition.
However, in November of the previous year, it became known that the EU would not be able to fulfill the plan within the specified timeframe. By March 1, 2024, EU countries would only have 600,000 munitions available.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed regret that the EU had provided Kyiv with only 30% of the promised munitions by March 2024.
The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, noted that Ukraine will receive over 1 million artillery shells from EU countries by the end of the current year.
According to EU Commissioner for Finance Johannes Hahn, the EU will be able to produce up to 2 million artillery munitions for Ukraine annually starting from 2025.
For more information on solving the issue of "ammunition shortage," where Ukraine will get the ammunition, and whether the West can bypass Russia, read in the original material by RBC-Ukraine.
