Ukraine's Foreign Minister disappointed with EU's delayed decision on joint purchase of ammunition for Ukraine

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has expressed his disappointment that the launch of the EU's decision on joint purchase of ammunition for Ukraine is still being slowed down by disputes between member states.

Source: Kuleba on Twitter, reported by European Pravda

Details: Kuleba has noted that this situation is a test for the EU itself, and Ukraine is paying for all the delays with human lives.

Quote: "The inability of the EU to implement its own decision on the joint procurement of ammunition for Ukraine is frustrating. This is a test of whether the EU has strategic autonomy in making new crucial security decisions. For Ukraine, the cost of inaction is measured in human lives."

The inability of the EU to implement its own decision on the joint procurement of ammunition for Ukraine is frustrating. This is a test of whether the EU has strategic autonomy in making new crucial security decisions. For Ukraine, the cost of inaction is measured in human lives.

— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) April 20, 2023

Background:

• Although the EU has already approved the overall procurement mechanism and allocated €2 billion for this purpose, member states continue to argue over some details, such as how much these contracts should be limited to EU producers and whether companies from the US and the UK should be included in the programme.
• Politico has cited its sources among diplomats and stated that France and Poland had squabbled on Wednesday when the country's ambassadors to the EU failed to settle a dispute over joint EU contracts to purchase ammunition for Ukraine.

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