Borrell: EU delivers one million promised shells to Ukraine

This was announced by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, in a press release from the EU's Diplomatic Service.

"We have also just met our pledge to provide Ukraine with 1 million rounds of ammunition, and by the end of winter, we will have trained 75,000 Ukrainian soldiers. The EU and its Member States are Ukraine’s main supporters and the volume of our assistance is growing," Borrell said.

So far, the EU has sent €45 billion worth of weapons to Ukraine. However, Borrell acknowledged that more is needed.

"We need to step up our assistance and abandon our policy of imposing red lines on Ukraine’s defenders. Ukraine urgently needs more air defense, more ammunition, and more long-range weapons. And it needs permission to strike military targets deep inside Russian territory. The latest news on that from the U.S. is very encouraging," he added.

One million shells to Ukraine 

On April 13, 2023, the EU Council approved the allocation of €1 billion for ammunition for Ukraine. On May 2, the EU prepared a plan to produce 1 million shells for Ukraine and to replenish its stockpiles.

On May 23, EU Chief Diplomat Josep Borrell announced that since the beginning of the year, EU states had already provided more than one-fifth of the targeted one million artillery rounds and missiles to Ukraine as part of an initiative to supply Ukraine with 1 million rounds.

On June 1, the European Parliament supported a bill to increase European production of ammunition and missiles to support the Ukrainian army. On July 7, the Council of the European Union and the Parliament agreed on a draft regulation for the Ammunition Support Act (ASAP), aimed at increasing the production of missiles and ammunition.

On July 13, the European Parliament approved plans to boost the EU’s production of ammunition and missiles to address the shortage caused by supplies to Ukraine.

In early November 2023, reports indicated that the EU was concerned it might not be able to provide Ukraine with 1 million rounds of ammunition by the promised deadline of March 2024.

In January 2024, Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur stated that Ukraine would receive more than 1 million artillery shells from the EU by the end of 2024.