The European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell, confirmed on Monday that the bloc has already delivered 1,000 missiles to Ukraine as part of its plan to mobilize existing stocks in the European armies, although he acknowledged that it is still far from the target of providing 1 million rounds to Ukraine in terms of ammunition.
At a press conference in Luxembourg after the meeting of the foreign ministers of the bloc, Borrell urged the EU-27 to speed up the delivery of artillery ammunition demanded by Kiev in order to maintain the military effort in the Donbas, on the eve of the offensive expected to be launched by the Ukrainian army at the end of spring.
I cannot specify the figure because it changes every day, but it is certain that the delivery of military resources of the Member States is concentrated on missiles and ammunition has figures that do not reach the prospects that I and (Ukrainian Foreign Minister) Dimitro Kuleba would like,» said the High Representative.
The EU must »force the pace» and »increase the deliveries» of this type of material, Borrell has defended, who has insisted that he will transfer to the ministers of Defense the urgency of accelerating the deliveries to Kiev.
The meeting of European foreign ministers was marked by Ukraine’s complaints about the EU’s »inability» to adopt the joint ammunition procurement plan agreed by European leaders a month ago, following disagreements over what type of material should be subject to joint procurement.
Borrell was sympathetic to Kuleba’s complaints, which he framed as the demands of »those who live with the anguish of war». We can theorize here, but they are suffering a barbaric aggression and it is normal to ask urgently and insistently for more and more help,» he explained.
In any case, the head of EU diplomacy hopes that the legal adoption of the joint purchases will take place in the coming days and defended that the EU »is not waiting for the consensus on the last comma» of the text to get to work and that it is already putting in place the necessary mechanisms to expedite these joint orders as soon as possible.
»I am sure that in the coming days they will reach a full agreement to make additional demand to the industry worth one billion,» he stressed. The differences between member states have been aired following France’s acrimonious position to ensure that components and elements of military equipment to be produced jointly are European, a rigid view that would reduce procurement from domestic industries, whose value chains contain elements from outside the EU and foreign capital.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
