EU leaders will discuss the Ukraine war with the UN chief, return the ammunition plan – #leaders #discuss #Ukraine #war #chief #return #ammunition #plan
BRUSSELS, March 23 (Reuters) – European Union leaders Thursday UNSecretary-General Antonio Guterres will discuss the war in Ukraine and will also approve a plan to increase the supply of artillery shells to Kiev.
Guterres, Ukraine on the safe export of grain from the Black Sea UN and will be a guest at the EU summit to be held in Brussels a few days after the renewal of the agreement mediated by Turkey.
Officials said that this is a humanitarian measure UNbefore going on vacation, the Secretary General and EU leaders Ukraine will be discussed over a business lunch with Guterres before receiving an update on the war from President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
of EU leaders Europe “As always, we will reaffirm our unwavering commitment to help Ukraine,” Council President Charles Michel said.
Leaders will give their blessing on Monday to a plan agreed by foreign ministers to send 1 million artillery shells to Ukraine over the next year, drilling stockpiles and taking a major step in joint procurement.
Zelensky government told its Western allies that it urgently needed large quantities of 155mm shells because it was invading Russia is waging a fierce war of attrition with its forces.
officials, of Ukraine warned that its allies were burning shells faster than they could produce them, prompting a renewed search for ways to increase ammunition and production.
Scheme of the EU of Ukraine It is based on a plan by foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, following a proposal by Estonia, one of its most ambitious supporters within the EU.
The plan is for a quick supply of shells and possibly missiles from existing stockpiles 1 billion euro (1.09 billion dollars) and 1 more billion The euro provides for joint orders from EU countries for more cycles.
Money to Ukraine military allocated billions of euros for aid Europe It will come from the European Peace Fund, a fund managed by the European Union. Diplomats said that at the summit, leaders may begin discussions on increasing additional funds to the fund.
It is unclear how soon the plan could have an impact on the battlefield, as governments are secretive about how much ammunition they have in their stockpiles, which have already been depleted by deliveries to Ukraine.
Artillery produced under the new joint procurement initiative will take months to arrive, although EU officials stress they are moving at an unprecedented speed for such a project. They say they aim to sign the first contracts with arms firms by the end of May.
Michel invited EU leaders to the summit and said in his letter: “We must take measures to increase the production potential of the European defense industry.”
($1 = 0.9212 euros)
Reporting by Kate Abnett, Philip Blenkinsop, Gabriela Baczynska, Andrew Gray and Jan Strupczewski; Written by Andrew Gray; Edited by Jonathan Oatis
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2023-03-23 12:13:54
Source – reuters
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