EU supplies Kiev with less ammunition than planned – hopes for a turnaround in the war
Published: Tuesday, Nov 14th 2023, 17:00
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German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius expects the EU plans for the delivery of one million artillery shells to Ukraine by spring 2024 to fail.
"The one million figure will not be reached. We have to assume that," said the SPD politician at a meeting of EU defense ministers in Brussels on Tuesday. The reason for this is insufficient production capacity.
By concluding framework agreements, Germany has made a major contribution to increasing capacities, explained Pistorius. However, the production processes are "as they are". Not even a decision on a war economy could lead to production starting up tomorrow and demand being met.
EU chief diplomat considers coercive measures
However, there is no consensus on the question of responsibility. EU foreign affairs representative Josep Borrell emphasized that, in his opinion, the problem is not industrial capacity. Around 40 percent of production is currently exported to third countries. The fact that there is not enough ammunition is therefore due to the fact that companies are sending their products to other markets.
"So perhaps we need to try and shift this production to the priority market, namely the Ukrainian market," said Borrell. According to him, only around 300,000 of the promised artillery shells have been delivered so far.
The EU's progress in supporting Ukraine and aid plans for the future were the top topic on the agenda of the defense ministers' meeting in Brussels on Tuesday. On March 20, the EU states promised Ukraine that they would provide one million new artillery shells for the defensive war against Russia within twelve months. They are to be organized from the stocks of the member states, but also via new joint procurement projects and prevent shortages in the Ukrainian armed forces.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba regretted that the EU ammunition deliveries will not arrive on time. "It has become clear that there are still many obstacles, many uncoordinated things, a lot of bureaucracy," the diplomat said on Ukrainian news television.
Germany wants to significantly increase military aid for Ukraine
Defense Minister Pistorius confirmed in Brussels that the German government intends to significantly increase the budget for military aid to Ukraine in the coming year. Instead of the originally estimated four billion euros, the budget for 2024 now includes eight billion euros.
The German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall has received an order from the German government for 32 Leopard tanks to support Ukraine in the war against Russia. The vehicles are to be delivered next year, as the company announced in Düsseldorf.
Meanwhile, the EU is increasing humanitarian aid for people affected by the war in Ukraine by a further 110 million euros. The fresh money could be used to finance food, accommodation and healthcare, for example. Cash aid and psychosocial support are also possible. The new pledges bring the total amount of EU funds made available since the start of the Russian invasion to 843 million euros.
Landmine report: Number of victims in Ukraine has increased tenfold
In Ukraine, ten times as many people were killed or injured by landmines and explosive remnants of war as a result of Russia's war of aggression in 2022 than in the previous year. There were over 600 documented cases there in 2022, as reported by the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) in Geneva. Worldwide, the number of reported victims fell from 5544 to 4710.
According to the ICBL landmine report, Russia has laid landmines in 11 of Ukraine's 27 regions since the invasion of the neighboring country in February 2022. However, according to this information, Ukraine also used the weapon at least once - in Isjum in the Kharkiv region when the area was under Russian control. There were at least eleven victims there. Unlike Russia, Ukraine is a party to the treaty and is the only one of the 164 countries to have violated its provisions. Russia has not joined the treaty, nor have the USA and China.
Ukraine: War with Russia ahead of a decisive year
During a visit to the USA, the head of the Ukrainian president's office, Andriy Yermak, expressed hope for a turning point in the defense against Russia's war of aggression. "Next year will be decisive for us," said Jermak in a speech at the Hudson Institute in Washington, according to a press release. Russia's air superiority must be broken. To do so, Kiev would need more air defense from its allies.
"I'll tell you the truth: this winter will also be very difficult for us," he said, referring to Russian airstrikes on the Ukrainian power grid last winter. Kiev had repeatedly expressed fears that new attacks by Moscow, particularly on substations, could also cause prolonged power outages this winter.
Kiev rules out compromise peace
Once again, Jermak ruled out a compromise peace. "In our case, ending the war through a compromise would be nothing more than a pause," he warned. Ukraine fears that Russia could use a ceasefire to rearm. A prerequisite for a "just" peace would be the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory, as Yermak emphasized.
In Washington, Jermak also spoke with the security advisors from the USA, Great Britain, France and Germany and thanked them for their support. With this help, almost 50 percent of the territories initially occupied by Russia have already been recaptured. However, the Russian grouping in Ukraine is now three times as strong as it was at the beginning of the invasion. Russia still controls almost a fifth of Ukraine's territory, including the Crimean peninsula, which it annexed in 2014.
©Keystone/SDA
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