Zelensky pleads to speed up deliveries of ammunition to Ukraine
Zelensky pleads with the EU to speed up its promised deliveries of ammunition to Ukraine as it falls behind on its pledges
- The EU has pledged a million artillery shells in the next year
- Member states cannot agree on mechanisms to achieve this ambitious objective
- READ MORE: Ukraine fears its counter-offensive will not live up to the hype
Volodymyr Zelensky has pleaded with the European Union to speed up its delivery of ammunition – which is falling behind its promises.
The EU has pledged a million artillery shells in the next year but member states cannot agree on mechanisms to achieve this ambitious objective.
Yesterday Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, received a stiff reminder from Mr Zelensky of the EU’s need to do more and talk less.
She visited Kyiv for critical talks as Ukraine prepares to launch a counter-offensive against Russian troops occupying the eastern Donbas region.
The thrust, which is intended to pierce Russia’s defences and separate its forces, is hugely reliant on Western support – hence the president’s concerns over the contribution of the EU.
Volodymyr Zelensky has pleaded with the European Union to speed up its delivery of ammunition – which is falling behind its promises
Yesterday Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, received a stiff reminder from Mr Zelensky of the EU’s need to do more and talk less
A Ukrainian woman standing in front of a burning home after being shelled in the city of Irpin, outside Kyiv, on March 4, 2022
By contrast, the UK spent £2.3billion providing military aid in 2022 and has committed the same level of support for 2023.
European politicians still appear to be dragging their feet and the EU parliament is not scheduled to discuss its military production bill until May 31.
At a press conference yesterday in Kyiv, just hours after Russian missiles targeted the capital city, Mr Zelensky said: ‘We discussed a key issue, the speed of procurement and the delivery of these munitions. These are needed on the battlefield now.’
A concern, according to EU officials, is that member states are unaware of the amounts of ammunition they each hold.
The EU’s military aid legislation has been created after ministers decided to come up with measures to boost defence manufacturing capacity. Yet in a preliminary vote yesterday, 59 MEPs voted against the bill and 31 abstained.
President Zelensky also attacked restrictions imposed by some EU nations on Ukrainian grain exports.
He said: ‘All restrictions on our exports are completely unacceptable right now. They only reinforce the abilities of the aggressor.’
Agency reports on the discussions between Mr Zelensky and Ms von der Leyen added that he called the blockade of grain ‘severe, even cruel’ and ‘disappointing’.
His foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba has also slammed the EU over the issue. ‘For Ukraine, the cost of inaction is measured in human lives’, he has said.
Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia have previously objected to Ukrainian grain imports without restrictions.
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