Some 300,000 artillery rounds are missing, according to the bloc’s top diplomat
The European Union is 300,000 shells short of meeting its two-million target for military aid to Ukraine, the bloc’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has said.
Speaking on Monday, Kallas urged member states to press on with military and financial support, noting that despite earlier promises, hundreds of thousands of munitions remain undelivered.
Kallas said that a million shells are “available now” through a separate Czech-led initiative, responding to questions about the sharp decline in the bloc’s military support for Kiev since the summer.
Launched in 2024, the Czech Ammunition Initiative was designed to finance the purchase of large-caliber rounds for Ukraine but has drawn criticism. An investigation by the US state-funded broadcaster RFE/RL and several other outlets found that Czech companies involved in the procurement charged commissions up to four times higher than Ukrainian state agencies.
Some shipments also arrived behind schedule, potentially disrupting Ukraine’s defense planning, while others reportedly included poor-quality munitions.
Kallas said “a redistribution of funds or other measures” are required to fill the deficit.
The two-million-shell pledge originated in an initiative launched by Kallas in March, which initially included €40 billion ($47 billion) in military support. That figure was later cut to €5 billion due to opposition from member states, though ammunition deliveries remained a central component of the finalized plan.
According to the Kiel Institute’s Ukraine Support Tracker, military aid from EU states dropped by nearly 60% in summer 2025 compared to the start of the year.
Russia has consistently condemned Western arms shipments to Ukraine, stating that they only prolong the conflict without altering the outcome, while increasing the risk of a direct Russia-NATO clash.
