EU Struggles to Decide Ammunition Supplier for Ukraine, According to Media Reports

Moscow, April 6 – European Union countries cannot decide whether contracts for the purchase of ammunition for Ukraine will be concluded exclusively with companies from the European Union or whether they will be open to manufacturers from other countries, Politico reports, citing sources.

“The question remains whether these arms contracts will be concluded exclusively with EU companies, or if they will be open to third-party manufacturers,” the publication reads, quoting sources.

According to the sources, France insists on concluding contracts with companies within the European Union. According to the sources, Greece and Cyprus support France, and this is due to their desire to avoid entering into contracts with Turkish manufacturers.

According to information from diplomats, the European Commission needs to do more work before reaching a final agreement.

According to sources, EU ambassadors have agreed to transfer more ammunition to Ukraine, and the official text will be published next week.

At the March 23-24 summit, EU leaders endorsed the idea of ​​supplying Ukraine with 1 million artillery ammunition over the next year by implementing a proposed supply of ammunition from European warehouses, through joint orders and purchases, as well as by increasing military production in the EU.

Russia has previously sent a memorandum to NATO countries over the supply of weapons to Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has indicated that any shipment containing weapons to Ukraine would become a legitimate target for Russia. The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that NATO countries were “playing with fire” by supplying arms to Ukraine. The press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Peskov, noted that the injection of weapons into Ukraine from the West does not contribute to the success of the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations and will have a negative impact.