EU agrees on €2 billion ammunition plan for Ukraine | DW News

European Union ministers signed off on a plan to supply €2 billion ($2.1 billion) worth of ammunition to Ukraine on Monday.

The bloc aims to deliver 1 million 155-millimeter artillery shells to Ukraine in the next 12 months as well as replenish EU stocks.

Under the plan, €1 billion will be used to reimburse EU members that immediately supply Ukraine with ammunition from their own existing stockpiles.

Another €1 billion will be used to jointly fast-track orders of ammunition specifically for Ukraine.

The agreement aims to accelerate deliveries, and comes amid concerns that Ukraine is using more shells than its Western allies are producing.

Kyiv had urged the EU to send it more ammunition, saying that its forces had resorted to rationing firepower as they try to prevent Russian troops from advancing further.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said the "starting signal" had been given and that Kyiv could count on receiving a significant amount of ammunition this year.

"We are grateful to the EU for approving a plan to purchase ammunition for Ukraine for €2 billion," the Ukrainian presidential administration's chief of staff Andriy Yermak said. "This is a very strong step to protect European security."

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