EU states team up to supply Ukraine with ammunition
The EU member states have pledged to supply Ukraine with a million rounds of artillery shells in the next twelve months. EU foreign ministers agreed on a budget of two billion euros to be used for reimbursing member states that supply the ammunition as well as for joint procurement at cheaper rates. Europe's press comments.
Providing only the minimum
The target number of shells is unlikely to suffice, the Süddeutsche Zeitung points out:
“One million rounds in one year is 83,000 shells per month. But even to maintain the current rate of fire of about 5,000 rounds per day, which is far below that of the Russian attackers, the Ukrainian army would need almost twice as many shells. In Brussels this is being touted as a historic decision. In reality, the EU is only providing the invaded country with the minimum it needs to defend itself.”
Orbán simply being ignored
No one seems to be interested in Hungary's dissenting stance anymore, notes Népszava:
“Hungary has announced that it will not participate in the joint EU ammunition deliveries to Ukraine ... Hungary didn't veto them; it didn't have the opportunity to do so because the others simply swept its opinion off the table. ... Hungary was also the only member state that did not agree to the convening of the Nato-Ukraine Commission, but it was convened anyway. ... The patience of our allies is at an end. .... Brussels is no longer even interested in Orbán's motives. It has decided to simply ignore him.”