The EU presidency announced early on Friday that member countries and the EU Parliament have reached an agreement “to urgently mobilize” 500 million euros of their budget for a Law to Support Ammunition Production.
The agreement is a consequence of the decision taken by the leaders of the EU member countries in March to promote the urgent supply of ammunition to Ukraine, which was then seeking to launch a counter-offensive against Russian forces.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly called for more military aid, from ammunition to planes and missiles.
The law was part of a plan to send Ukraine 1 million rounds of artillery ammunition in the next 12 months. The EU had already approved the plan for accelerated purchasing procedures when on Friday it approved funds to increase production at EU facilities and factories.
“This is further evidence of the EU’s unwavering commitment to supporting Ukraine, strengthening the EU’s defense, technological and industrial base and ultimately ensuring the long-term security and defense of EU citizens. ”, declared Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles, who currently holds the EU presidency.
The United States is expected to announce later Friday that it will send thousands of cluster munitions as part of a new $800 million military aid package, according to people familiar with the decision who were not authorized to discuss it publicly before Friday. official announcement and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Many European countries have been slower than Washington to provide military hardware, in part because for decades they have been sheltered under the US military umbrella in the NATO alliance.
“In the face of a war on European soil, we can no longer afford to neglect our defense as we have done for the past three decades. We urgently need to adapt our budget priorities,” said Michael Gahler, Member of the EU Parliament.
The agreement still needs to be approved again by member countries and Parliament, according to the Spanish presidency, but the procedure should not present any major setbacks and should be completed by the end of the month.
FUENTE: Associated Press
