According to a plan drawn up by European Foreign Minister Josep Borrell, EU countries will receive financial incentives of one billion euros to send more of their artillery shells to Kiev, and another billion euros will go to joint purchases of new shells, according to Reuters. “A general agreement has been reached on this procedure, but there are still issues to be discussed. Everything must be discussed in detail,” Borrell said after the meeting of EU defense ministers in Stockholm, adding that “the European Union will support Ukraine for as long as it takes.” According to Borrell, EU foreign and defense ministers will reach a final agreement at their big meeting on March 20-21, because “everyone agrees on the objective – to support Ukraine as much as possible and as soon as possible”.
The first tranche will be transferred from the European Peace Fund to EU member states, which will immediately send 155mm or 152mm ammunition to Ukraine from their own stocks. Borrell explained that in order to provide additional support to Kiev, EU countries should use the already existing European Defense Agency for joint purchases, which can also be subsidized by the European Peace Fund. On the third pillar, the bloc should support Europe’s defense industry to increase long-term production capacity, Borrell said, stressing that “there is continuity between the three.”
