The European Union will allocate 2 billion euros for the supply of 1 million shells to Kyiv

The member states of the European Union agreed on a plan worth 2 billion euros, according to which the armed forces of Ukraine will receive 1 million artillery shells over the next 12 months. This was announced by the representative of the EU for foreign affairs and security policy Josep Borrell in his Twitter.

“Following my suggestion, Member States have agreed to supply 1 million artillery shells over the next 12 months,” he wrote.

In accordance with the plan, the EU will allocate 1 billion euros for the immediate supply of shells, and the same amount for their joint purchases. In addition, a commission will be created to increase production capacity. This decision Borrell called “historic”.

How noted in early March, the Financial Times newspaper, these funds will be allocated from the European Peace Fund.

Borrell also said that 17 EU member states and Norway have joined the project of the European Defense Agency for the joint procurement of 155 mm NATO caliber shells for Ukraine.

The military operation in Ukraine has been going on since February 24, 2022. After it began, the EU countries, the USA, Great Britain, and others imposed new sanctions on the industry and economy of Russia. In particular, they began to provide military assistance to the armed forces of Ukraine. The Russian authorities have repeatedly criticized the supply of weapons to Kyiv. They also noted that Western countries thus become a party to the conflict.

On February 18, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that a Russian victory in the Ukrainian conflict would be “extremely dangerous” for NATO, so it is necessary to continue to support Ukraine. The secretary general also believes that the countries of the alliance should prepare for confrontation with Russia: modernize their own armies, strengthen relations between European countries and the United States, and generally strengthen the “resilience” of Western society.