Athens told EU officials that it could supply Ukraine with extensive ammunition stocks through Czechia this year, including 90,000 90 mm projectiles, 180 70 mm anti-tank projectiles, 2,000 127 mm Zuni rockets, and 4 million bullets, Kathimerini said.
Hydrocycles are in demand in Ukraine and can be sent "immediately," Swedish Government Offices's report reads.
Portugal joined the Czech-led initiative to provide Ukraine with hundreds of thousands of artillery shells, pledging 100 million euros ($108.9 million) to the effort, the Portugal Defense Ministry announced on March 15.
Russian forces are concentrating their main efforts on making a breakthrough near the recently fallen town of Avdiivka, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on March 15.
Sweden joined the Czech-led initiative to supply Ukraine with hundreds of thousands of artillery shells, pledging 30 million euros ($32.6 million) to the cause, the Swedish embassy in Czechia announced on March 14.
Of the 687 lawmakers who participated in the vote, 494 voted against the delivery, with 188 voting in favor and five abstaining.
The commission's officials plan to put forward a "legally robust proposal" for consideration by the member states, possibly before a meeting of prime ministers on March 21, the outlet said.
The French Senate on March 13 overwhelmingly supported a security deal between Paris and Kyiv after it was approved by the parliament's lower chamber a day earlier.
Key developments on March 13: * EU ambassadors approve $5.5 billion for defense fund for Ukraine in 2024 * Russian anti-Kremlin militias tell Russian citizens near Ukrainian border to evacuate * Russian oil refinery partially shuts down after drone attack * Media: Ukrainian drones attack 3 oil refineries in Russia, airfield in Voronezh
"If this sort of discussion will delay the process of the provision of financial assistance, then let's put the discussion aside and take whatever is given," Justice Minister Denys Maliuska said.
EU ambassadors have agreed in principle on 5 billion euros ($5.5 billion) in defense assistance for Ukraine in 2024 within the framework of the European Peace Facility (EPF), the Belgian Presidency of the EU Council said on March 13.
U.S. House of Representatives Democrats began collecting signatures on March 12 to bypass House Speaker Mike Johnson and force a vote on a Ukraine aid bill via a discharge petition, Reuters reported.
Based on the newly signed agreement, Ukraine's state budget should receive 4.5 billion euros ($4.9 billion) in transitional financing in March and the remaining 1.5 billion euros ($1.6 billion) in April "after the European Commission evaluates the completed indicators."
This is the first package since last December, as U.S. funds for Kyiv have been blocked by disputes in Congress.
EU countries are close to a deal to add 5 billion euros ($5.5 billion) to a fund used to provide military assistance to Ukraine, the Financial Times reported on March 12, citing four unnamed officials briefed on the discussions.
The U.S. may announce later on March 12 a military aid package for Ukraine worth as much as $400 million, Reuters reported, citing two unnamed American officials.
The Czech-led initiative to provide Ukraine with artillery ammunition received "non-binding commitments" for a further 200,000 shells, in addition to the confirmed purchase of 300,000 rounds, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on March 12, according to the Czech Press Agency (CTK).
U.K. Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said on March 8 that the U.K. has "stepped up to do more than ever" and pushed for other Western allies to do the same.
The Ministry of Defense of Lithuania announced the transfer of 155-mm artillery shells to Ukraine on March 7.
Congress needs to stand up to Vladimir Putin, President Joe Biden said during the annual State of the Union address on March 7.
The U.K. will allocate 325 million pounds ($416 million) to purchase over 10,000 "cutting-edge" drones for Ukraine, the U.K. Defense Ministry announced on March 7.
"Ukraine urgently needs large quantities of artillery ammunition to withstand the Russian war of aggression," Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said.
As Ukraine prepares counteroffensive actions in 2024, continued delays in Western security assistance could postpone the efforts to regain a theater-wide initiative against Russia, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) assessed in their daily report on March 6.
The U.S. State Department and German Marshall Fund established a public-private initiative to assist in rebuilding up to three Ukrainian cities, with a focus on sustainability.
Ukraine’s allies have nearly raised the required funding to buy 800,000 artillery shells through a Czech-led allied initiative, Bloomberg reported on March 6, citing a government official familiar with the matter.
France has invited officials from Ukraine's key allies and NATO chief to participate in a video call on March 7 aimed at demonstrating a "united front" and developing concrete proposals to strengthen support for Ukraine, Reuters reported on March 5.
French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Prague on March 5 to meet Czech President Petr Pavel and Prime Minister Petr Fiala and discuss plans to purchase ammunition for Ukraine outside of Europe, among other topics, Czech Television reported.
Lithuania will contribute to the Czech-led allied initiative to supply Ukraine with hundreds of thousands of artillery rounds from outside of Europe, Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte confirmed on March 4 after a phone call with her Czech counterpart, Petr Fiala.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is taking advantage of delays in U.S. aid to Ukraine to further Russian military efforts, U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said at a press conference on March 4.
Ukrainian officials signed an agreement with France to invest over 5 million euros towards the reconstruction of Chernihiv Oblast, Ukrainian infrastructure minister Oleksandr Kubrakov announced on March 4.
The newly published list of 50 items includes 30 Caesar self-propelled artillery systems, 38 AMX10 armored fighting vehicles, 250 VAB armored vehicles in various modifications, 160 drones, and 10 drone-detecting systems.
As Kyiv faces critical ammunition shortages due to U.S. assistance being stalled in Congress, Czech President Petr Pavel said last month at the Munich Conference that Prague had identified 500,000 155 mm shells and 300,000 122 mm shells outside Europe.
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