Ukraine appreciates the initiative of Estonia, in particular its Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur, to increase the supply of ammunition, Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov has said in an interview with the Estonian broadcaster ERR.
"We have to defend ourselves against the Russians, to deter them, especially on the eastern front. Then we have to launch a counterattack. This means we need more ammunition to break through their defence line," Reznikov said.
According to him, all the projects that have become part of improving the efficiency and combat capability of our state began "under the leadership of one minister or one country".
"For example, the plan to transfer 155-mm artillery systems to us came from the United States. The donation of tanks was initiated by our friends in Poland. The British, Americans and Germans then came up with the plan. In this case, it was really the initiative of our Estonian friends, our brothers, when they first uttered these important sentences: 'Ukraine needs more weapons. Ukraine needs more ammunition. We can do it, arm them with the help of European countries.' This is how this initiative was born thanks to Estonia's lobbying efforts," he said.
When asked why Ukraine uses 4,000 to 7,000 artillery shells per day, while Russia uses 20,000, Reznikov noted that the Russians "have more ammunition in their warehouses".
"We have to think about the proper use of our ammunition. We are also using NATO-standard guns, such as the 155 calibre. This means that these canon systems are more accurate. We can use them more specifically. We use two shells instead of 10. This is not a war between a small Soviet army and a bigger Soviet army. These are two different armies. We are more creative with more modern equipment and thinking. That is why we are trying to use less ammunition," the minister explained.
He also expressed confidence that Ukraine's partners have manufacturing capacity and resources to increase the production of shells for Ukraine.
"I am sure that the West has resources. They have industry. They need to start production. They should order their industry to start producing ammunition because it is very important for the war," Reznikov said.
He emphasized that Ukraine is fighting for European values. "We are the eastern shield of Europe and NATO. We are de facto already a NATO country, because most of our ammunition and weapons come from NATO countries. The ability to cooperate with NATO countries has increased. I hope that in the near future there will be a decision by NATO countries to invite us to join NATO," the minister said.