Brussels – At the end of yesterday’s (Nov. 19) Foreign Affairs Council in Defense format, outgoing High Representative Josep Borrell announced that member states have finally delivered to Ukraine the one million artillery munitions promised in March 2023, eight months behind the deadline (in March this year).
“We have reached the goal of one million munitions. We delivered them a few days ago (…) and We will continue doing that,” the EU diplomacy chief promised. A few days ago, European sources said that the goal was close, albeit with a major delay. “This means that Ukraine now has as many artillery shells as Russia,” commented Berlin’s Defense Minister Oscar Pistorius. For his Estonian counterpart Hanno Pevkur “it is a good result but it is not enough.”
While Europeans made progress on munitions, a stalemate remains on the European Peace Fund (EPF): “Unfortunately, there has been no progress on the proposal” for voluntary contributions to the Fund, lamented Borrell, who called on the working groups to get busy to find a solution as soon as possible to override the Hungarian veto that blocks 6.6 billion euros earmarked for Kyiv. To bypass Budapest’s “no,” Borrell suggested a voluntary contribution mechanism, but this would require the agreement of several national parliaments, and for some chancelleries, it is too complex a process. The European External Action Service (EEAS) could propose an opt-out option for Hungary. However, for now, there are no concrete proposals.
The defense ministers then discussed the EU military assistance mission to support Ukraine (EUMAM Ukraine). “So far, 65,000 soldiers have been trained.” The goal is 75,000 by the end of winter, the High Representative explained. Borrell also reiterated his proposal to open a coordination cell in Kyiv to better align European actions with the needs of the Ukrainian armed forces. However, this move is also been on hold due to Hungary’s opposition.
As for Russia’s nuclear threats, Borrell branded them as “completely irresponsible.” “This is not the first time Putin has made a nuclear bet,” he said, adding that “any call for nuclear war is irresponsible.”
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
