the European Union will only deliver half of the million shells promised to kyiv by March

Ukraine recently alerted its supporters of the dire lack of ammunition the country faces to defend itself against the Russian invasion.

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A Ukrainian soldier prepares to fire a shell towards Bakhmout, where clashes continue, on January 26, 2024. (IGNACIO MARIN / ANADOLU / AFP)

The objective is very far from being achieved. The European Union will ultimately only provide half of the million shells that it had promised to deliver to Ukraine by the end of March, said the head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell on Wednesday January 31.

“We have already delivered 330,000 shells”explained Josep Borrell to the press, following a meeting of EU defense ministers in Brussels. “I expect this figure to increase by 200,000 shells” by the end of March, i.e. “a little more than 52% of the objective” set last year, added the official.

“Ammunition shortage is a very real problem”

The announcement comes as kyiv has sounded the alarm over the lack of ammunition to defend itself against the Russian invasion. “The shortage (…) is a very real and pressing problem that our armed forces are currently facing”lamented the Ukrainian Minister of Defense on January 18 on X.

The Ukrainians fire between 5,000 and 8,000 shells per day, compared to 10 to 15,000 on the Russian side, according to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, Cédric Perrin.


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