The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, called on Monday 20 February, for EU Member States to send the ammunition they have to Ukraine.
“Ukraine must be provided with what is needed to cope with the fighting. For this to happen, Member States must give priority to Ukraine in the use of their current capacities and in contracts with industry”, said Mr Borrell at the end of the ‘Foreign Affairs’ Council.
On his arrival at the EU Council, Mr Borrell said that “the most important, pressing issue today for the Ukrainian army is to have a continuous flow of ammunition of 155-calibre – also of 152-calibre”. “Russian artillery shoots about 50,000 shots a day. A day. Ukraine needs to be at the same level of capacity. They have guns, but they lack ammunition”, he warned.
For the High Representative of the Union, it is necessary to “launch procedures to produce more and faster”. “We need to step up our efforts, including through joint procurement at EU level”, he added, while recalling that in the short term, ammunition from Member States’ existing stocks should be sent. Mr Borrell added that the Europeans were talking to the industry to build capacity, “but it doesn’t happen overnight”.
According to an EU source, the Estonian proposal for a common market in ammunition, supported by Kyiv, was welcomed by EU foreign ministers.
On his arrival at the EU Council, Estonian Minister Urmas Reinsalu explained that the EU should start with 155 mm ammunition, with a target of one million pieces, which would cost around €4 billion. According to him, Russia uses as many shells in one day in Ukraine as the EU produces in a month. With current industrial capacity, it would take about 6 years to cover Ukraine’s needs, Mr Reinsalu said.
Mr Borrell is expected to make proposals at the informal meeting of EU defence ministers on 7-8 March in Stockholm.
Adoption of sanctions expected before 24 February
The High Representative explained that the ministers were committed to overcoming the remaining obstacles to the adoption of the 10th sanctions package so that it could be adopted by written procedure before 24 February.
Upon their arrival at the EU Council, some ministers had already called for going further than the Commission’s proposal. Mr Reinsalu believes that liquefied natural gas should be sanctioned and the oil price cap should be lowered from $60 to $30. The Lithuanian minister, Gabrielius Landsbergis, highlighted Rosatom. “I know some countries are worried about contracts in place, that they need those contracts in order for their power plants to be operational. They need it for nuclear safety, energy safety, so that’s understandable. But we can derogate from this”, he explained.
On top of additional sanctions, several ministers stressed the need to tackle sanctions circumvention.
International support expected
International support for Ukraine was also discussed in light of the fact that the United Nations General Assembly, in which Mr Borrell and several ministers will participate, is expected to vote this Thursday on a resolution defending the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. “This is a very important vote at the United Nations. Remember, 143 votes (for the resolution condemning the annexation of the Ukrainian region by Russia on 12 October (see EUROPE 13042/5), Editor’s note). Let’s see which is the level of support by the whole world for Ukraine and [in] condemning Russia’s aggression”, Mr Borrell stressed. He said that the EU, Ukraine and the G7 countries were carrying out an “intense” awareness-raising action to ensure General Assembly support for the resolution.
“It is important to be able to adopt the resolution on peace in Ukraine with a large majority, so as to have legitimacy for this approach”, added the Romanian Minister, Bogdan Aurescu. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant with Léa Marchal)