EU Cannot Say When 1Mln Shells Would Be Delivered to Ukraine - Dutch Prime Minister
It is not known when the EU will be able to send the approved one million artillery shells to Ukraine, as their delivery depends on the markets and stock availability, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Friday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th March, 2023) It is not known when the EU will be able to send the approved one million artillery shells to Ukraine, as their delivery depends on the markets and stock availability, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Friday.
On Monday, the EU minister agreed on the two-billion-euro ($2.14 billion) plan to supply Ukraine with one million ammunition rounds.
"It's difficult to say, I cannot say even approximately because it very much depends on the markets and what is in stock in terms of what the European countries can deliver, but it is crucial that we took the decision, the three step decision of last Monday," he said after the European Council meeting in Brussels.
Announcing the shells plan, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that rounds of artillery ammunition will be delivered within the next 12 months.
Western countries ramped up their military support for Ukraine after Russia launched a special military operation there on February 24, 2022 there. The assistance includes air defense missiles, launch rocket systems, tanks, self-propelled artillery, anti-aircraft guns and various types of ammunition. The Kremlin has warned against further arms supplies that could mean the direct involvement of the US and NATO in the conflict.