The European Union is behind schedule in supplying artillery shells to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Earlier, the EU promised to provide 1 million rounds of ammunition by March, but now the deadline is being pushed back.

This situation gives the Russian occupation army an additional advantage on the battlefield. It was reported by Bloomberg.

The European Union pledged to provide Ukraine with artillery ammunition by using existing stocks, and then through joint procurement contracts and increased industrial capacity. However, to date, the initiative has been implemented by only 30% of the planned figure. Based on the volume of contracts signed to date, deliveries may be disrupted.

Due to this backlog, a number of EU countries have asked the bloc's foreign policy department to extend the deadline. In addition, the United States urged the EU to step up its efforts. At the same time, representatives of the White House refused to comment on this issue.

Analysts point out that preparations for a prolonged Russian-Ukrainian war are forcing the EU to keep up with Russian production of artillery ammunition. It is predicted that in 2024, the aggressor country, Russia, could produce about 2 million artillery shells. Moreover, the Kremlin has agreed with North Korea to purchase Soviet-era weapons.

Ukraine's European allies hoped that the pace of military aid would match the production of the Russian military-industrial complex. In addition, the EU expects that the Ukrainian army has gained an advantage due to the higher standards of Western shells and weapons.

In March 2023, EU foreign ministers approved a plan for joint supplies of ammunition to Ukraine. It envisages the transfer of 1 million artillery shells to Kyiv within a year.

Earlier it was reported that in the summer of 2023, US President Joe Biden approved the supply of cluster munitions to Ukraine. The agreement on cluster munitions for the Armed Forces of Ukraine was reached after several months of internal debate.

As OBOZ.UA previously reported, Oleksandr Kovalenko, a military and political observer at the Information Resistance group, believes that the supply of artillery ammunition and MLRS missiles from North Korea to the Russian army will not change the balance of power at the front in Ukraine.

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