(Dan Tri) – The EU spoke up to explain after Ukraine said that the European Union did not keep its promise to provide Kiev with 1 million artillery shells in March.
Ukraine has faced a serious shortage of artillery shells recently (Photo: AFP).
Ukraine should not expect the EU to provide 1 million free artillery shells, the bloc’s internal market commissioner, Thierry Breton, told France Info television on March 4.
He also said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had made false accusations that the EU had broken its promise to provide 1 million artillery shells in aid in March.
Last week, Mr. Zelensky said that the EU would not be able to keep its word in providing Ukraine with the promised number of artillery shells.
When asked about this statement, Mr. Breton said that Mr. Zelensky had misunderstood the issue.
`We use the word provide, not give for free,` Mr. Breton explained about the EU’s commitment last year.
The plan to provide 1 million artillery shells to Ukraine has 3 main sources.
The second source is that Ukraine must buy ammunition directly from EU defense companies.
Along with the EU’s free ammunition, the alliance will provide Ukraine with nearly 900,000 ammunition by the end of March.
If it wants more ammunition, Ukraine will continue to have to buy directly from EU companies.
The third source of ammunition supplies to Ukraine is through bilateral aid agreements between each EU member state and Kiev.
Therefore, Mr. Bretin affirmed that, from the three sources mentioned above, the EU has kept its commitment to provide 1 million artillery shells to Ukraine and the Union has not broken its promise.
However, according to observers, Mr. Breton’s comments seem to be quite contrary to the previous statement of top EU diplomat Josep Borrell.
In January, Mr. Borrell admitted that the EU would not be able to deliver the promised 1 million 155mm artillery shells to Ukraine in March, and would only achieve half of the target.
It is unclear what the EU’s exact commitments are and whether they have kept their promises.
Ukraine has repeatedly complained about the slow pace of Western arms aid, seriously affecting Kiev’s ability to fight against Russia in a war of attrition.
At the end of February, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said half of the weapons and ammunition promised by the West had arrived late.
