The European Union countries are trying to raise 1.5 billion dollars for emergency needs to provide Ukraine with artillery shells from abroad to strengthen the front line against Russia, the Financial Times writes, UNN reports.
Details
The latest attempt to buy ammunition outside the EU was initiated by the Czech Republic, which wants to compensate for the lack of shells due to the delay in approving US aid to Ukraine.
According to the newspaper, Prague has taken the initiative while European capitals are arguing over the extension of the EU's main mechanism of military support for Kyiv
Officials familiar with the discussions say the Czech Republic needs European partners to help provide $1.5 billion in ammunition for Ukraine.
On Monday, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told his EU counterparts that Ukraine needs 2.5 million artillery shells this year, but the bloc has sent only 400,000. He urged them to find a solution quickly.
As noted, at a meeting in Brussels on Wednesday, EU ambassadors failed to reach an agreement on the purchase of shells outside the bloc and set a goal to agree on the rules for a new capital injection by the March 21 summit of EU leaders.
Germany insists that its conditional contribution of approximately EUR 1.25 billion be reduced.
At the same time, France and Greece insist that weapons and ammunition be purchased only from EU and Norwegian manufacturers, which would prevent it from financing the Czech plan or ammunition from the United States.