EU cannot agree on how to spend €1 billion on ammunition for Ukraine
Disputes between the permanent representatives of the European Union states over allocating part of the funds under the plan to provide Ukraine with one million artillery shells are slowing down its implementation.
Source: Politico; European Pravda
Details: EU ambassadors met on Wednesday, 5 April to discuss the issue but were unable to make significant progress on one of the key issues of the ammunition procurement plan for Ukraine, according to several of Politico’s sources.
The dispute concerns whether contracts for the production of ammunition will be signed with EU companies only or with foreign manufacturers as well. According to Politico, France supports the first option, along with Greece and Cyprus, which do not want the funds to go to Turkish manufacturers.
On another part of the plan - the supply of ammunition to Ukraine from its own stockpiles - EU ambassadors were able to reach an agreement, and the relevant legal document is expected to be published next week.
Background:
- On 20 March, the Council of the European Union agreed on a plan to provide Ukraine with one million artillery shells over the next 12 months.
- The plan consists of three stages. At the first stage, EU member states will send shells from their stockpiles to Kyiv, having received compensation from the European Peace Facility, with a total of 1 billion euros being allocated for this.
- At the second stage, the same amount of funds will be allocated for concluding contracts with manufacturers of artillery ammunition, and then EU states will expand their own production capacities.
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