Ukraine on Wednesday urged the European Union to take “urgent steps” to increase deliveries of artillery shells, whose stocks Kyiv says are desperately needed to defend the frontline against Russia.
Securing the shells has been a priority for Kyiv, which is burning through its reserves as Russia throws manpower and resources in a bid to make territorial gains.
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told top European diplomat Josep Borrell at a press conference in Kyiv that he expected the EU to ease regulation and sign “long-term contracts” with defence companies to boost shell production.
“If you ask a soldier at the front what he needs most now, the answer will be shells,” Kuleba told Borrell.
“Because the scale of the war and Russia’s use of artillery reached a level for which, let’s be honest, the European defence industry was not ready,” he added.
