Borrell Optimistic European Union Reaches Target Supply Of One Million Ammunition To Ukraine Later This Year

JAKARTA - The European Union's (EU) top diplomat is confident that the bloc is capable of meeting its target of supplying one million ammunition to Ukraine, although the previous deadline was missed.

EU Head of Foreign Policy Jozep Borrell on Monday said the bloc had supplied more than 980,000 ammunition to Ukraine at war with Russia, planning to surpass its target of one million supplies by the end of this year.

"I know that we have committed to reaching this level in the spring and we failed. But we can do it by the end of the year," Borrell told Ukrainian media European Pravda.

The EU was originally planning to supply 1 million 155 mm artillery shells by March 2024. However, officials later said production capacity was not enough to meet the target.

Meanwhile, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said separate initiatives led by Prague would send 500,000 bullets to Ukraine by the end of the year.

Ukraine has also stepped up domestic defense production to try to reduce its dependence on military aid from its allies and ensure timely supplies.

Kyiv's top weapons official said Ukraine had increased mortar production from scratch before Russia's invasion to millions per year today.