BRUSSELS (HRNW) – European Union countries finalised a scheme on Wednesday to jointly buy ammunition for Ukraine after weeks of wrangling that had frustrated leaders in Kyiv.
Ambassadors from the EU’s member countries approved the deal at a meeting in Brussels, ending a dispute over how much of the business from the munitions contracts should stay in Europe.
Sweden, current holder of the EU’s rotating presidency, said the ambassadors approved the decision “to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces through 1 billion euros ($1.10 billion) for joint procurement of ammunition and missiles”.
Details of the compromise were not immediately available.
The joint procurement scheme is part of a broader EU drive to get 1 million artillery shells and missiles to Ukraine over the next 12 months, following pleas from Kyiv that it urgently needs such munitions to fight Russia’s invasion.
EU foreign ministers approved the overall plan in March but the procurement scheme could not be finalised for weeks while governments argued over eligibility rules.
EU countries had already agreed to limit the scheme to firms from the EU and from Norway, which has close economic ties to the bloc.