EU defense ministers back fast-tracking Ukraine ammunition – Bloomberg

On 8 March, at an informal meeting in Sweden, European Union defense ministers supported a plan to speed up the production and delivery of ammunition to Ukraine, pledging to jointly procure shells and mobilize the bloc’s budget, Bloomberg reports. It was an informal gathering, and a decision will be up to EU leaders meeting in Brussels on March 23-24.

"Industrial ramp-up is key: we will jointly procure and mobilise EU budget and teams to support industry to deliver," European Commissioner Thierry Breton wrote, adding that "More than ever, cooperation between EU and NATO is crucial. EU defence industry needs to move into an 'economy of war' mode."

Together w/@JosepBorrellF, coordinated EU defence response:

1. Support the immediate #transfer of ammunition from existing national stocks

2.#Consolidate demand through the launch of a massive EU contract on behalf of Member States

3.Massively #increase EU production capacity pic.twitter.com/EXL3lcH34A

— Thierry Breton (@ThierryBreton) March 8, 2023

“The next weeks and months, but mainly weeks - we are talking about weeks, will be critical because the military situation on the ground is very difficult,” Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, said after the talks.

German defense minister says 18 Leopard 2 tanks to be sent to Ukraine later this month

Before the discussions, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said Ukraine urgently needs artillery ammunition in large quantities, and a draft EU proposal to use €1 billion to buy shells won’t suffice, according to Bloomberg

“We need one million rounds, and approximately that would cost four billion,” he told reporters in Sweden. “We need more.”

Russia's invasion continues raging and Ukraine urgently needs more ammunition to defend itself.

Time is of the essence and at today's Defence Ministers meeting, I present a concrete proposal how we can provide the ammunition that Ukraine needs.https://t.co/mpCtrePgcX pic.twitter.com/P5crzVD3el

— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) March 8, 2023

Read also:

EU edges towards joint arms procurement for Ukraine but hurdles remain – Euroactiv

Ukraine is running low on ammo, asks EU for 250,000 artillery shells a month