EU’s chief diplomat Borrell expected to visit Ukraine, call EU countries to reprioritise ammunition orders

EU’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell confirmed on Monday (5 February) he was heading for Ukraine as he reiterated calls for more aid for the war-torn country.

“I’m on my way to Kyiv,” Borrell told reporters in Warsaw, adding that the bloc needed to support Ukraine “with whatever it takes”.

This will be Borrell’s fourth visit to the country since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Borrell said the renewed push to help Ukraine replenish its weapons stocks was necessary for it to “defeat invasion”.

“It’s not just a matter of time. It’s a matter of the quantity and quality of our supplies. And certainly, we have to do more and quicker because Ukraine has to prevail,” Borrell said.

Earlier last week, the EU had admitted the bloc would not be able to supply Ukraine with the promised one million artillery shells by March.

As it stands, around 524,000 shells will be delivered to Ukraine by the original date, which represents roughly 52% of its target.

According to EU data, the production capacity for artillery shells in Europe has gone up 40% since the start of the war and is expected to reach 1.4 million rounds a year by the end of 2024.

Arms producers across the bloc have complained of having struggled to ramp up capacity fast enough, suggesting that national governments need to commit to long-term contracts.

“The quickest, cheapest and most effective way of increasing our supply of ammunition to Ukraine is to stop exporting to third countries,” Borrell said, speaking alongside Poland’s Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski in Warsaw.

Buyers of European ammunition could wait a few months because they are “not at war,” Borrell said.

“This is something that only member states can do – and this has been my request,” Borrell added.

“We must find ways to ensure that the ammunition needed by Ukraine does not go to less urgent places, to customers in other parts of the world,” Sikorski said.

“Maybe we need to change these contracts somehow or find understanding among the recipients that Ukraine urgently needs this,” he added.

At the same time, the EU is facing delays in reforming the European Peace Facility (EPF), which it uses to provide Ukraine with weaponry.

German opposition to the proposed overhaul of an EU military support fund risks delaying arms deliveries to Ukraine.

[Edited by Nathalie Weatherald]

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