EU Seeks Ammunition Boost for Ukraine in Bid to Near Goal
The European Union will aim to boost ammunition deliveries to Ukraine as it tries to make up for delays in meeting an ambitious target of sending 1 million artillery rounds by March, Estonia’s defense minister said.
While the bloc agreed last year on the deadline, only one third of the rounds has been delivered to Ukraine with another 30% due by March, Hanno Pevkur said in an interview in Brussels. The goal at the time wasn’t backed by money, he added on the eve of a meeting of EU defense ministers Wednesday.
“We’re lacking still around one third of that,” Pevkur said. “This is why we need to send a clear signal that we have either the shells from stocks or the money.” Pevkur added he expects his counterparts to commit at their meeting to finding the rounds or funding for shells for Ukraine.