The delivery of the promised one million shells to Ukraine from European Union countries is once again delayed. Now, they aim to complete the supply by the end of 2024.
This was revealed by the Minister of Defense of Estonia, Hanno Pevkur, in X.
According to him, the defense ministers of EU countries have agreed to fulfill their promise to supply 1 million shells to Ukrainian defenders. By the end of March, over 0.5 million shells will be delivered, and over 1.1 million shells will be supplied by the end of 2024, Pevkur emphasized.
The Minister of Defense of Estonia also clarified that the production capacity of the EU will increase to 1.5 million units of ammunition by the end of 2024. No shells yet Recall that representatives of the European Union announced this morning that they would not be able to provide the promised one million shells to Ukraine by March 1, 2024. By this time, EU countries will only accumulate 600,000 ammunition.
Diplomats suggest that at the meeting of defense ministers in Brussels this week, they will try to calculate other supplies to increase the overall volume, but still, they will not achieve the goal of 1 million set last year.
How did it all start? Yes, in March 2023, defense and foreign ministers of the EU agreed on a plan for joint procurement of ammunition. It envisaged providing Ukraine with 1 million shells over the next 12 months, involving seven countries.
However, in November, the EU informed the members that it was unlikely to be able to deliver the promised 1 million artillery shells to Ukraine. This plan must be fulfilled by March 2024.
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