EU defence ministers are meeting in Brussels on Tuesday, but some of the bloc’s pledges to support Ukraine may be failed.
The bloc’s target was announced at the start of the year: to supply Kyiv with 1 million rounds of ammunition within a year to help in the conflict with Russia.
A senior EU official said on Friday that 300,000 rounds of ammunition from national stockpiles had been sent to Ukraine since 9 February as part of a programme to send shells from national stocks.
That means aid that had been planned is being derailed and new cash pledges are also bogged down in a tense political debate.
It will be very difficult to reach the target by mid-March.
The main problems causing this situation can be summarised as follows: Industry executives cite staff shortages and problems with the supply of explosives.
The attempt to allocate a new EU aid package of €20 billion over four years to Ukraine from the European Peace Facility also leaves a prudent outcome for the Ukrainian side, as the European Commission is adamant about supporting Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.
Meanwhile, some of member states are divided over securing further funding and reimbursing countries for arms deliveries in a lump sum or in instalments over the course of a year. Hungary and Slovakia with a new Prime Minister have a significant influence on how exactly the assistance regarding Ukraine will be organised.
