Ukraine Defense Minister Tells the EU 'We Need a Million Artillery Rounds'

Ukraine's Defense Minister, Oleksii Reznikov, has expressed hope for the speedy delivery of air defense equipment and additional ammunition from Ukraine’s EU partners. Specifically, he stated that more 155mm artillery shells were essential if Ukraine was to halt the Russian aggression and liberate the occupied territories.

He made the statement on Wednesday in Stockholm, speaking ahead of the meeting of EU defense ministers which he was attending. He said Ukraine needed "munitions, munitions, and more munitions". He was supported in his plea by the Estonian Defense Minister, Hanno Pevkur, who has tabled an initiative to provide one million artillery rounds.

Additionally, the defense minister highlighted the importance of continued supply of armored infantry fighting vehicles, Leopard tanks, and other heavy equipment to allow Ukraine to create a "steel fist" as it prepares its own counteroffensive.

When asked about the attitude to the slowdown in the delivery of military aid from the EU due to bureaucracy, Reznikov acknowledged the importance of complying with legal procedures and bureaucratic rules but emphasized the need to act quickly in wartime.

The defense minister stressed: "As Jens Stoltenberg told us in Brussels during the latest meeting in the Ramstein format, time saves lives. That is why we need to move forward as quickly as possible."

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The informal meeting of EU defense ministers, which is being presided over by Sweden, is ongoing in Stockholm today. The primary focus of the meeting is to accelerate military aid from EU countries to enable Ukraine to successfully defend against Russian aggression. The Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Oleksii Reznikov, is attending the first session of the ministerial.