The delivery of a million rounds of ammunition to Ukraine will take longer than expected, but "the promise will definitely be fulfilled."
The head of the European Council Charles Michel said this while speaking on the France Inter TV channel.
"We will fulfill our promise to supply Kyiv with a million rounds of ammunition, but it will take a little longer than we would like. A few extra months will undoubtedly be needed. Everything must be done to achieve this goal in 2024," noted Charles Michel.
According to him, European leaders are very determined to support Ukraine. Michel noted that at the December summit, heads of state and government "will concentrate significant efforts on making additional decisions regarding support for Ukraine, both financially and militarily."
Michel noted that the Ukrainian army recently crossed the "extremely important strategic element" of the Dnipro, and also "restored control over its territorial waters in the Black Sea."
"We see that without our support we would not be where we are today, and the question is not whether we should reduce this support, but how we can accelerate and strengthen it," said the head of the European Council.
- On March 20, EU member states agreed to purchase one million 155 mm ammunition for Ukraine over the next 12 months. On May 5, the Council of the EU approved the allocation of one billion euros in aid for the purchase of 155-mm ammunition and, if necessary, missiles for Ukraine.
- On September 6, the European Defense Agency (EDA) signed the first eight contracts with manufacturers for the joint purchase of 155-mm ammunition. They concern ammunition for the most common self-propelled howitzers, which the EU member states transferred to Ukraine: the French Caesar, the Polish Krab, the German Panzerhaubitze 2000 and the Slovak Zuzana.