FM Kuleba calls to direct all European shell production to needs of Ukrainian frontline

This was reported by the press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Ministry.

Kuleba called on his European colleagues to make every effort to urgently increase the supply of artillery shells to Ukraine, in particular to cancel export contracts and direct all available European production to the needs of the Ukrainian front and European defence.

"Every artillery shell that is currently produced in Europe should serve the defence of Europe. We must make this a rule," he stressed.

The Ukrainian Foreign Minister told his colleagues about the barbaric Russian tactics of "meat assaults" and called on them to take immediate decisions to provide Ukrainian soldiers with the necessary number of artillery shells as soon as possible. He stressed that a sufficient amount of artillery saves the lives of infantrymen.

Kuleba also asked European governments to sign more long-term contracts to establish new production lines, to jointly search outside Europe for shells that can be purchased and shipped to Ukraine, and to cancel contracts for the supply of European shells to third countries and redirect them to the needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and European defence.

"The Russian threat to Europe will not go away. Unfortunately, we have a new revanchist evil that threatens the whole Europe. You all feel that the atmosphere has changed. Five generations of Europeans have grown up under peaceful skies in the previous eight decades, and this is the greatest historical achievement of Europe and the EU. Unfortunately, the smoke of war in the east is now in the European sky, and the smell of war is already in the European air. However, with timely and sufficient support, Ukraine is able to defeat Russian aggression and avoid the worst-case scenario for Europe," Kuleba said.

He noted that everyone is now focused on stopping Russia and preventing a bigger war in Europe, but the only way to prevent this catastrophe, in his opinion, is to give the Ukrainian army the opportunity to defeat the Russian invaders on their own land.

The minister also called for the necessary steps to be taken as soon as possible to start negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU, to create a separate mechanism for military assistance under the European Peace Fund, to confiscate frozen Russian assets and to increase sanctions pressure on Russia.

• Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said that Denmark would transfer all its artillery to Ukraine. She called on Europe to also give Ukraine weapons, ammunition, and air defence systems that they are not using.