The EU is set to propose a three-track plan to provide Ukraine with much-needed ammunition in response to some member states’ calls to ramp up the continent’s production capacity, but the amount of funding remains unclear, Report informs referring to Bloomberg.
The proposal calls for the immediate transfers of ammunition, particularly 155mm artillery rounds from existing stocks or pending orders, as well as using a joint procurement framework to aggregate orders to European industry, according to a document obtained by Bloomberg. The paper also envisions ramping up Europe’s industrial capacity to meet the current and future demand.
“All three elements are crucial to sustain our support for Ukraine moving forward,” the paper says. “All three tracks need to be pursued in parallel and as a matter of urgency.”
The plan, which echoes a letter the bloc’s top diplomat Josep Borrell sent to EU defense ministers last week, makes scarce mention of precise dollar figures or readily available sources of funding to immediately boost capacity.
Sending ammo to Ukraine has become a top priority for European nations and the US, according to people familiar with the matter. The issue is expected to be high on the agenda when President Joe Biden meets German Chancellor Olaf Scholz later this week, the people said. The US has been urging its European allies to move as quickly as possibly, the people added.
EU defense ministers will discuss the proposals at a meeting in Sweden next week, with the aim of sealing an agreement by the time leaders meet later this month in Brussels.