EU defense ministers reached an agreement on the purchase of weapons for Ukraine

The Minister of Defense announced this Wednesday a political agreement between member states to purchase large-caliber ammunition for Ukraine, but within the amount of the European Peace Support Mechanism.

At the end of an informal meeting of European Union (EU) defense ministers in Stockholm, Sweden, Helena Carreiras announced that “there is general agreement on the plan” presented by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep. Borrell.

The agreement is purely political, as its final approval depends on a meeting of Union foreign ministers on 20 March and ratification by the European Council on 25 and 26 March.

The plan, the minister of national defense explained, included protocols for jointly acquiring high-caliber ammunition and using “stocks” that were immediately available.

“States can be compensated for this support [de entrega de munições que tenham em ‘stock’] with funds from the European Peace Fund,” he added.

Along the way, Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur announced this Wednesday morning a package of 4 billion euros for the purchase and production of 100 million ammunition. The demand was accompanied by a Ukrainian minister of defense invited to the meeting, who said he wanted to distribute “between 90,000 and 100,000 ammunition per month.”

“At this point, we decided how to use the resources and funds that we have, rather than thinking about expansion or making decisions that we can only make later,” said Helena Carreiras.

“We are not talking about fresh money yet,” he added, using the same expression as his Estonian colleague in the morning.

The joint arms purchase reflects the purchase of vaccines at the most critical period of the pandemic, “with a very important difference”: “For vaccines, research had to be done, vaccines had to be created, and here we have already identified the product, there is no need to investigate, action must be taken.”