At a ministerial meeting in Brussels, European Union countries agreed to supply Ukraine with one million rounds of ammunition for 155-mm artillery, Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur said, The Guardian reports.
“We have reached a political consensus to send to Ukraine 1m rounds of 155mm calibre ammunition,” he said.
The shells will be sent within 12 months, he said, adding that there were “many, many” details to be solved but that “it is most important that we conclude these negotiations and it shows me one thing: if there is a will, there is a way.”
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis told reporters that he hopes the European industry can meet the goal of producing 1 million shells over the next 12 months to be sent to Ukraine, adding that "speed is of the essence," Bloomberg reports.
The bloc's foreign and defence ministers, who are meeting in Brussels, are expected to support a proposal to spend 2 billion euros ($2.1 billion) to send Ukraine ammunition from the countries' stockpiles, as well as to combine the purchase of shells, including the targeted production of 1 million artillery rounds within a year.
Ukraine is in dire need of ammunition for large-calibre artillery. Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said that it would be desirable to receive 90-100,000 rounds of ammunition for 155-calibre artillery per month. Overall, the defence needs 250,000 artillery rounds per month.