The defense ministers of the European Union (EU) are discussing the acquisition of artillery ammunition for Ukraine between Tuesday and Wednesday in Stockholm, Sweden, with the participation of representatives from Kiev and NATO.
Today, during an informal meeting in Sweden, organized by the Swedish presidency of the Council of the EU, the leaders of the 27 defense officials discuss military operations involving the community bloc, within the scope of the missions of the United Nations Organization (UN) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), since most of the member states of the Union belong to the military alliance.
On Wednesday, the priority of the meeting is the continuity of the military support that has been given to Ukraine since the start of the invasion of Russia, a year ago.
kyiv military representatives will also be present at the meeting to assess the status of the counteroffensive in the regions occupied by the Russian Armed Forces.
In this context, there are two priority issues for the defense ministers of the European Union: the search for financing for the acquisition of artillery ammunition and the mission to train the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
On these two issues there will also be ‘contributions’ from representatives of NATO and the UN. Whether the issue of delivery of Leopard 02 A6 combat vehicles will be addressed is unknown. Portugal is one of the countries that intends to send these modern tanks at the end of the month, as announced by the Government at the beginning of February.
On the table could also be the discussion of the next military support package for Ukraine, worth 1,000 million euros. Diplomatic sources consulted by France-Presse (AFP) revealed a week ago that the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, urged the 27 to make this amount available to meet the commitment to urgently supply the ammunition for requested artillery. by kyiv.
This amount should be part of the European Peace Support Fund, to purchase 155mm shells used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Surely the issue will be discussed during these two days of meetings, but the informality of the meeting should prevent more than a possible political agreement, since the fulfillment of Borrell’s request will still have to go through the scrutiny of the finance ministers of the 27
Source: TSF
