In March 2023, the EU set itself the target of supplying one million rounds of ammunition to Ukraine within one year. Ammunition that is urgently needed in the fight against the Russian occupiers. But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky complains that only a small part of the promised aid is actually delivered.
“Of the one million grenades that the European Union promised us, not 50 percent arrived, but unfortunately only 30 percent,” Zelenskyi said in Kiev on Monday. Two years after the Russian invasion, Kiev is struggling to obtain enough artillery ammunition to defend the front. Ukraine recently called on Brussels to take “urgent measures” to increase deliveries, for example by relaxing regulations.
The EU has promised that
The EU promised last year to deliver one million artillery shells to Kiev by the end of March. However, in January, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell was forced to admit that member states had delivered only 330,000 rounds of ammunition by then. There should be a total of about 500,000 shots by the end of March.
Given the blocking of US military aid to Ukraine, there is currently particular pressure on European states to support Ukraine in its defensive struggle against Russia. Several countries, including Germany, France, Italy and Canada, have recently signed bilateral security agreements with Ukraine. Austria does not want to provide military aid to the country, but sees itself as one of the largest donors of humanitarian aid. According to the Federal Chancellery, 210 million euros in bilateral aid has already flowed to Ukraine.
Macron: “Russia is preparing new attacks”
How to increase aid to Ukraine, but also better adapt it to Ukrainian needs – this was one of the topics discussed by 21 heads of state and government in Paris on Monday at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron.
At the start of the conference, Macron warned against attacks on Europe: “Russia is preparing new attacks.” A hardening of Russia is visible. The harder line was reflected in the death of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny, but also in disinformation campaigns in the West. “The overall conclusion today is that the safety of all of us is at stake,” Macron emphasized. “Russia must not win the war,” Macron declared. “A collective leap from all of us is necessary.”
Nehammer: “Putin is needed at the negotiating table”
“More” had to be done in the third year of the war, Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) told Austrian journalists in Paris. The West needs more allies in the world. Nehammer called on the BRICS countries to “be much more closely involved” in order to put enough pressure on Russia and President Vladimir Putin to end the war of aggression.
It must be made clear to Putin ‘that the form of war he has chosen is leading the Russian Federation and himself to a dead end.’ And Nehammer added: “Putin must also be at the negotiating table, otherwise we will not achieve peace.”
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
