EU will likely fail to provide Ukraine with 1 million artillery rounds on time – Bloomberg

The EU has informed diplomats that the bloc is unlikely to fulfill its March 2024 commitment to provide Ukraine with one million artillery rounds. This will complicate the country's ability to keep up with Russia's own production, reported Bloomberg with reference to sources familiar with the matter.

According to people familiar with the matter, the EU's foreign policy unit has informed EU diplomats that the bloc will most likely not reach the target set for March 2024.

According to the plans, the EU committed to provide Ukraine with artillery ammunition for 12 months, first using stocks, and then through joint procurement contracts and increased industrial capacity.

According to recent reports from Bloomberg, the European Union initiative to provide 1 million artillery shells and ammunition to Ukraine appears increasingly unlikely to meet its intended deadline.

While the EU had previously pledged to deliver this critical military aid in time for the winter months, the news agency has revealed that—with the majority of the designated period now passed—the program has only completed about 30% of its planned shipments so far.

A representative of the European External Action Service declined to comment on the matter, citing the confidential nature of the discussions.

Some member states are reluctant to disclose supply details, and the EU may ask them to provide more information about plans to get the full picture, the sources said.

The article states that the provision of ammunition to Ukraine is becoming increasingly urgent due to the fact that Russia has been able to increase its own production. Some EU countries this week pointed out that North Korea's supply to Russia further underscores the need for the EU to be more effective.

Earlier, Bloomberg wrote that the European Union is lagging behind plans to provide Ukraine with one million artillery shells by March 2024.

The head of the Estonian Military Intelligence Service, Colonel Ants Kiviselg, said that Russia's artillery shells would suffice for a year of low-intensity war.

On October 3, 2023, a representative of the administration of US President Joe Biden John Kirby said that North Korea has transported more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and munitions to Russia.

On October 26, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Gabrielius Landsbergis, said that the European Union had supplied Ukraine with only 300,000 shells out of the promised million.

On November 1, Bloomberg reported that North Korea transferred more than a million artillery shells to Russia. These data were announced at a closed briefing for parliamentarians of the South Korean intelligence service.