Reuters: Pact on the purchase of ammunition for Ukraine will be signed on March 20

A pact on the purchase of 155 mm artillery shells for Ukraine will be signed on March 20, reports Reuters.

As reported, the signing of the document is planned at the meeting of ministers of foreign affairs and defense of EU countries in Brussels.

A senior EU official told the agency that many of the bloc’s 27 countries are expected to sign a so-called ‘draft’ agreement which sets out the terms of reference for the plan, but the exact number of those states is unclear. is unclear as some of them are still studying the proposal.

The project, which will be launched on Monday, will be piloted by the European Defense Agency. EU officials say the move should lead to more one-off orders for defense companies, encouraging them to invest in more capacity and reducing competition between governments that drive up prices in a bid to win contracts. similar commands. The initiative is part of a plan presented by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell to allocate 1 billion euros to reimburse EU countries for sending shells from their own stocks to Ukraine and an additional EUR 1 billion for joint purchases.

Diplomats said EU governments were still squabbling over key details on Friday due to disagreements over how the plan should work and a lack of clarity over the amount of ammunition in national stockpiles. Ambassadors to the EU will meet today to agree details of the comprehensive plan so it can be endorsed by foreign ministers on Monday, diplomats said.

Representatives of the European Union say that after that it will be at least a few more months before the shells ordered in the framework of joint purchases go to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.