EU Defense Ministers Agree on Further Military Assistance to Ukraine

The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, stated that the defense ministers of EU countries generally agreed on his proposal regarding military assistance to Ukraine, but details still need to be finalized.  "I must report that based on our exchange of views, it seems a general consensus is emerging. However, there are still unresolved issues. All of this needs to be thoroughly discussed. Everyone agrees on the urgency of moving forward. Everyone is in agreement on the goal of providing support to Ukraine as quickly as possible," he said during a press conference following an informal meeting of EU defense ministers in Stockholm.

Borrell reiterated his previous calls to "accelerate the delivery times of ammunition to Ukraine, lower their costs, and increase the volume of supplies." According to him, it is necessary to "deliver more, but at the same time faster."  The EU's chief diplomat mentioned that he reported to the defense ministers about his proposed "three directions" for supporting Ukraine with ammunition, which should be implemented simultaneously. His proposal involves funding through the European Peace Facility to reimburse the cost of ammunition that will be urgently supplied to Kyiv from the existing stockpiles or what has already been ordered from EU countries. He clarified that this refers to ammunition of both NATO caliber and that of the former Warsaw Pact countries' armies.

Borrell invited ministers to allocate 1 billion euros from the European Peace Facility’s resources for this purpose. Secondly, the EU high representative proposed to consolidate new orders for ammunition from member states to replenish exhausted stockpiles and provide further assistance to Ukraine. In his view, this will help reduce the prices of military-industrial products and shorten delivery times. In support of this project, he suggested allocating another 1 billion euros through the European Peace Facility.

Lastly, Borrell noted that it is essential to increase the capabilities of the defense industries of EU countries to meet the demands of both Ukraine and the armed forces of the European Union itself. He expects that with the support of Sweden's presidency in the EU Council, Brussels will be able to bring the work on this package to agreement among EU countries by March 20. The meeting of defense ministers in Stockholm on March 8 did not involve any decisions, as informal EU councils do not adopt official documents.