By the end of the year, the European Union will provide Ukraine with half a million rounds of ammunition, and in 2024 it will supply the promised 1 million rounds, Interfax-Ukraine has reported, citing a European official.
"We plan to deliver 500,000 out of a million by the end of this year, I think. I believe that next year we will reach a million. But it's true that we are a little bit late," he said.
He confirmed that there would be a "slight delay" in the delivery of the 1 million rounds.
The official also noted that the European Union is working privately with other partners to get some of the shells from other countries that have them.
What is known about EU ammunition for Ukraine
- It has recently become known that EU member states have ordered only 60,000 artillery shells for Ukraine under the planned scheme developed in March and promised to help deliver 1 million rounds of ammunition to Ukraine by spring 2024.
- Last month, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that Europe would increase its assistance to Ukraine to 480,000 shells, and next year it would increase its ammunition production capacity to 1 million shells per year.
- The European Union has also informed member states that it is unlikely to fulfil its commitment to provide Ukraine with 1 million rounds of ammunition by March next year.