"Historical Agreement": The European Union has agreed to allocate € 1 billion for ammunition for the Armed Forces

The money allocated under the European Peace Fund (EPF) will allow EU Member States to compensate for the ammunition provided to Ukraine from reserves or by changing existing orders from February 9 to May 31 of this year. The European Council stated that today they put into operation the first part of the historical agreement achieved by EU leaders to support the immediate supply of artillery ammunition for the Armed Forces.

"There is no better manifestation of the unified determination and firmness of the EU in the continuation of the support of Ukraine's legal right to self -defense from a cruel Russian aggressor," said the head of European diplomacy Josep Borrel. Along with the previous 7 tranches of support, the total military expenses for Ukraine within the EPF amounted to 4. 6 billion euros.

The arrangement of foreign ministers of EU countries to purchase 155 mm artillery ammunition for Ukraine became known on March 20. According to the idea, shells are supplied for 2. 1 billion euros. In particular, 1 billion should be reimbursed to the Member States for immediate supply of ammunition from their own stocks. And the other 1 billion euros will go to the long -term support of Kyiv with artsnayars. The European Union will buy ammunition together to reduce prices and speed up orders.

The PAP Polish Agency, citing a high -ranking source in the European Union, wrote on April 12 to refuse Paris to support the EU initiative to finance the supply of ammunition in Kiev. Artillery shells of the 155th caliber are produced in Poland, France and Germany. Of the 2 billion euros, half wanted to be spent on reimbursement of ammunition supply from European countries.

But now they are lacking in warehouses and there has been a demand for ammunition in other countries, the interlocutor explained. The EU could get ammunition from a third country and handed it to other weapons. Thereafter, the Armed Forces received the Armed Forces from the EU country, but France opposed this idea without explaining the reasons. "This would allow the return of ammunition that Kyiv did not ask for.

In addition to the ammunition decision, France wants to achieve the opportunity to compensate for the supply of missiles," the source added. Some diplomats believe that the position of France may be lobbying by defense companies. Most EU countries oppose changes. "It is about creating a mechanism for coercion to order equipment that can be simply unnecessary to the Ukrainian side," Rar said one of the European diplomats.

The permanent representative of Poland to the EU Andrzej Sados said that the European Union should not waste time and send ammunition to Ukraine as soon as possible. Recall that on April 12, the American newspaper The Washington Post wrote how the Armed Forces fighters beat the enemy in the face of a constant shortage of ammunition and material. The State Concern "Ukroboronprom" recently set the Armed Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine 125 mm tank shells.