Zelensky Was Wrong to Think All EU Shells Would Be Free, Breton Says

The European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton has stated that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was mistaken in saying that the European Union has only provided Ukraine with 300,000 shells out of the promised one million.

At the end of January, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell announced that by early 2024, the EU member states would supply more than 300,000 shells to Ukraine. According to him, by March 2024, the countries of the bloc will be able to deliver more than half of the promised one million munitions to Kyiv. This is due to production delays and countries' concerns about depleting their own reserves.

Breton stated today during an appearance on Franceinfo radio that Zelensky's comments regarding this matter do not align with reality. "The reality is that last March, the 27 member states decided to supply one million shells over the course of a year... I said 'supply,' not 'transfer,'" said Breton, adding that Zelensky spoke of a gratuitous transfer.

According to Breton, there are three channels for the supply of ammunition, one of which is indeed the gratuitous transfer. Within the framework of this initiative, 300,000 shells have been transferred to Kyiv, and by the end of March, that number will reach 550,000.

"There are two other channels of supply: the first is that Ukraine purchases shells directly from our production bases. It has already bought more than 350,000 shells. This brings the total to 900,000... Additionally, there are also bilateral supplies between certain neighboring countries that are not disclosed," the European Commissioner further explained.

Thus, Breton labeled as false the claim that the European Union would be unable to provide Ukraine with one million munitions, noting that by the end of March, Kyiv will have 550,000 shells to be transferred free of charge. "The overall number of transferred shells will significantly exceed one million," the European Commissioner concluded.

Earlier, Russia had sent a note of protest to NATO countries for supplying munitions to Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that any load intended for Ukraine containing military supplies would become a legitimate target for Russia. The Russian Foreign Ministry declared that NATO countries are playing with fire by supplying munitions to Ukraine.