Bloomberg: EU members may agree to pool ammunition purchases for Ukraine in March

European Union members may agree to combine their ammunition purchases in a move to bolster Ukraine's firepower, Bloomberg reported on Feb. 19.

The proposal, which was put forward by Estonia and is estimated to cost €4 billion ($4.3 billion), won tentative approval from Romania and the Netherlands.

The EU foreign ministers are set to review the proposal when they meet in Brussels on Feb. 20, with a final decision expected at the leaders' summit in March.

French President Emmanuel Macron is also considering joint ammunition purchases as part of his call to accelerate weapons deliveries to Kyiv, according to an aide, as reported by Bloomberg.

Earlier in the day, the European Union's top diplomat Josep Borrell called upon the bloc's members to step up their military support for Ukraine, saying that "a lot of applause" is not helpful without actions.

"(President Volodymyr) Zelensky and the Ukrainians get a lot of applause, but not enough ammunition," Borrell said. "It's a paradox. They need less applause and more weapons."

Critics argue that allies’ reluctance to supply F-16, Typhoon and Dassault fighter jets and long-range ATACMS missiles to Ukraine will prevent Kyiv from launching a counteroffensive and liberating the rest of Ukrainian territory. Ukraine’s lack of advanced aircraft and missiles will likely prolong Russia’s war of aggression and result in thousands of deaths.

Meanwhile, the U.S. has promised to provide Ukraine with GLSDB missiles but they are expected to arrive in nine months, which may be too late.

Editorial: Arming Ukraine won’t escalate war. Reluctance to do so will

The Kyiv Independent