At the Brussels summit, EU leaders supported a plan to accelerate the transfer of ammunition to Ukraine, joint purchases and an increase in military production, the summit's written conclusions say
BRUSSELS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd March, 2023) At the Brussels summit, EU leaders supported a plan to accelerate the transfer of ammunition to Ukraine, joint purchases and an increase in military production, the summit's written conclusions say.
"The European Council welcomes the agreement in the Council to urgently deliver ground-to-ground and artillery ammunition to Ukraine and, if requested, missiles, including through joint procurement and the mobilisation of appropriate funding including through the European Peace Facility, aiming at providing 1 million rounds of artillery ammunition in a joint effort within the next twelve months, without prejudice to the specific character of the security and defence policy of certain Member States," the document says.
Earlier this week, the EU Foreign and Defense Ministers agreed at the political level on a plan providing for the supply of one million ammunition to Ukraine over the next 12 months, as well as joint purchases and production to replenish their own stocks and continue deliveries to Ukraine in the medium term.
In particular, Brussels plans that at the first stage, the EU countries will supply ammunition to Ukraine from their warehouses, without waiting for their replenishment due to the urgency of the issue. They will be able to compensate for the cost of these supplies by 60% from the pan-European "peace fund."
At the second stage, the EU countries will place joint orders for the production of NATO-compliant ammunition in order to replenish their stocks and continue deliveries to Ukraine. The delivery time from the date of order should be reduced to 6-8 months. The third stage involves building up production capacity within the EU.
