According to Euractiv journalists, after a long delay, European partners finally began to direct funds and resources to ensure the supply of artillery shells needed by Ukraine.
What is known about the EU's ability to help Ukraine prepare a new counteroffensive
Journalists of the publication note that European partners are currently implementing several initiatives at once, including the wholesale purchase of ammunition, for which the Czech Republic is responsible, as well as a series of bilateral security agreements between Ukraine and certain Western countries.
It is noted that over the next several months, Ukraine should receive about 800,000 artillery shells.
800,000 pieces is not the final figure, we can definitely get much more depending on the availability of donors, - the representative of the Czech government on the reconstruction of Ukraine Tomas Kopechny emphasized in a comment to the journalists of the publication.
At the same time, the authors of the article also draw attention to the unexpected statement of the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, about the possibility of using the profits from the frozen assets of the Russian Federation for the purchase of armored vehicles for Ukraine.
And then there is the unexpected move by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who suggested this week that "it's time to start talking about using the windfall from frozen Russian assets to jointly purchase military equipment for Ukraine." According to people familiar with the progress of the discussions, the EU executive may present an official proposal in two weeks, the publication said.
Will Ukraine have enough ammunition to plan and prepare a counteroffensive?
At the same time, the authors of the publication wonder whether the collective supply of ammunition to Ukraine from Western partners will be sufficient to match the supply of shells to Russia from the DPRK.
It is expected that the ammunition obtained through the mediation of the Czech Republic, as well as the ammunition provided for in the EU plan, will give Ukraine the opportunity to fire again at a rate of about 6 thousand shells per day by the summer.
Western military officials expect that this will be enough for the country's armed forces to at least maintain a line of defense against Russia in an offensive expected by May and plan their own, the authors of the material emphasize.
