EU on failure to provide promised 1 million shells: bit like a chicken and egg problem

The military industry of the European Union was not ready for a rapid increase in production. Because of this, Ukraine did not receive the promised million shells on time, said the head of the EU mission in Ukraine, Katariná Mathernová, in an interview with RBC-Ukraine.

"This showed that the transition to military production is not a natural instinct in Europe. In Europe, we lived for decades with the firm conviction that war on the European continent is impossible," the diplomat said.

The military industry is gradually gaining momentum, although not as quickly as Brussels had hoped, said Mathernová.

"But now governments and the private sector are showing determination again and making a big push to increase production. And you know, we have a market economy, so it's not as easy to do that as in a command economy. Like in Russia. So yes, in that sense, industry hasn't responded as quickly as we'd hoped. I think the industry needs to see the long-term commitment of the government. It's a bit of a chicken-and-egg problem," she said.

In March 2023, the European Union adopted a plan to supply Ukraine with ammunition, which provided for the purchase of 1 million shells within 12 months.

Of this promised million, Ukraine will receive only 600,000 by March 2024.