EU to launch joint procurements for supplying ammunition to Ukraine

By Agnes Szucs

BRUSSELS (AA) - The EU will purchase military supplies for Ukraine by joint procurements, the president of the European Commission said on Friday.

Ursula von der Leyen was speaking at a joint press conference with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and Estonian Premier Kaja Kallas in Tallinn, Estonia.

The leaders participated in a series of events celebrating the 105th anniversary of Estonia’s Declaration of Independence and the first anniversary of Russia’s war in Ukraine.

“We will turn to joint procurements to deliver urgent military supplies for Ukraine, such as 155 mm ammunition,” von der Leyen said, also urging the defense industry to speed up production.

It was originally Kallas who suggested two weeks ago at the EU leaders’ summit to set up a joint procurement system for purchasing arms for Ukraine in a similar way the bloc supported the development of COVID-19 vaccines and secured the supply of jabs.

Von der Leyen asserted that “Ukraine will prevail because Europe and its partners and allies will stand firm.”

“One year on from the start of his brutal war, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin failed to achieve a single one of his strategic goals,” she said.

She said Russia is sliding to become “an autarchic economy cut away from the world” due to the sanctions the EU and its partners imposed and pledged to maintain the economic and diplomatic pressure on Moscow.

For her part, Kallas welcomed the endorsement of her plan for joint military procurement backing Ukraine.

“This war against Ukraine will define peace for generations to come,” she said, and called for holding accountable those responsible for “war crimes.”

Stoltenberg also reaffirmed NATO’s backing for Ukraine, stressing that it is the morally “right thing to do” and also in the security interests of the allies.

Estonia’s “history is a strong reminder that we cannot take our freedom for granted. Freedom is not for free. We must fight for it every day,” he said.