The European Union will not be able to fulfill its plan to supply a million artillery shells to Ukraine by March 2024 due to the state of defense production and bureaucratic obstacles.

This was stated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, in a television marathon.

“Unfortunately, Bloomberg is telling the truth (about the EU likely not being able to keep its promise regarding ammunition). There are issues, and we, let’s say, are loudly ringing the bells”, he said.

According to him, the reason for this problem is not the lack of political will in the EU but the “deplorable state of the defense industry” and “a lot of unsynchronized things, a lot of bureaucracy”.

“The European Union is working to address these issues, and that’s why, being in Berlin, I called on the European Union to develop a comprehensive policy in the field of defense industries”, added the minister.

As Kuleba pointed out, the EU has already taken certain steps to address the situation.

“But it needs to be faster, it needs to be more. And we highly appreciate the support of the European Union here, but we will push them. Because, again, there is a Ukrainian infantryman in front of us, and he needs shells”, emphasized the Ukrainian Foreign Minister.

Earlier, the head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell, stated that US assistance to Ukraine is likely to decrease. Therefore, EU countries must be politically prepared to continue supporting Ukraine against this background.

Photo: Open sources