Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1495439
14 WORLD maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 22 MARCH 2023 EU deal to send 1 million artillery shells to Ukraine over the coming year MORE than a dozen EU mem- ber states have agreed a deal to send at least 1 million artillery shells to Ukraine over the com- ing year to bolster its defences against Russia's invasion. Ukraine has identified the supply of 155mm shells as a critical need as it engages in a fierce war of attrition with Moscow's forces. Both sides are firing thou- sands of artillery rounds every day, and both Ukrainian and Western leaders have warned in recent weeks that Kyiv is burning through shells more quickly than its allies can re- plenish them. The Ukraini- an foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, hailed the decision as "game-changing". The plan, worth €2bn (£1.7bn), will be met via coun- tries' own stockpiles and also by teaming up to buy more am- munition. "We have reached a political consensus to send to Ukraine 1 million rounds of 155mm cali- bre ammunition," Estonian de- fence minister Hanno Pevkur told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting of EU foreign and defence ministers in Brussels. "There are many, many details still to [be] solved, but for me, it is most important that we conclude these negotiations, and it shows me one thing: if there is a will, there is a way," said Mr Pevkur, whose country had championed the move. "Exactly what is needed," Mr Kuleba wrote on Twitter. "Ur- gent delivery and sustainable joint procurement." The plan approved by minis- ters was based on a proposal by the EU's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, to spend €1bn on shells from stockpiles to get more supplies to Kyiv as soon as possible, and €1bn more on joint procurement. The deal will likely mean each country will have to share details of their ammunition stockpiles – something nor- mally kept secret. Mr Borrell called the approval of the plan "historic". As part of the initiative, a group of 17 EU members plus Norway signed a document known as a project arrange- ment, setting out the terms of a joint endeavour to swiftly buy 155mm ammunition as well as a longer-term programme to buy other ammunition. Such procurement has largely been in the hands of individu- al member governments until now. The new joint effort will be led by the EU's European De- fence Agency, which said the common approach was "the best option to achieve cost reduction from economies of scale". German defence minister Bo- ris Pistorius, whose country is taking part in the joint pro- curement initiative, described it as "new territory" for the EU. He said Germany would also open its national framework contracts with the defence in- dustry to other partners, as speed was of the essence. "Our goal has to be to ship a significant amount of muni- tions to Ukraine before the end of this year," he said. Separately, the US has an- nounced it will send another $350m (£285m) worth of weap- ons and equipment, as fierce battles continue for control of the eastern city of Bakhmut. The latest package of aid in- cludes a large amount of vari- ous types of ammunition, such as rockets for high-mobility artillery rocket systems (HI- MARS), and an undisclosed number of fuel tanker trucks and riverine boats. The US secretary of state, An- tony Blinken, said the package also provides more ammuni- tion for howitzers, Bradley in- fantry fighting vehicles, high- speed anti-radiation (HARM) missiles, and anti-tank weap- ons. "Russia alone could end its war today. Until Russia does we will stand united with Ukraine for as long as it takes," Mr Blinken said in a statement. At an internal conference in London on Monday, £4m was raised to support the Interna- tional Criminal Court (ICC) in its investigations into alleged war crimes in Ukraine. Justice ministers from more than 40 countries met for the confer- ence, just days after the global court issued an arrest war- rant for the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. The court accuses Mr Putin of being re- sponsible for the unlawful deportation of children from Ukraine. Moscow has called the warrant "outrageous". The justice secretary, Domi- nic Raab, said as he opened the meeting: "We share the belief that President Putin and the wider leadership must be held to account ... Let's make sure that we back up our words with deeds, that we back up our moral support with practical means to effectively investigate these awful crimes." Karim Khan, the chief pros- ecutor of the ICC, said the warrant for Mr Putin was not a moment of triumph but a "sombre occasion", reminding the world of the need for jus- tice in Ukraine. "If we don't at this moment of world affairs cling to the law, if we don't look at ourselves and ask how we can do better – we will not only miss an opportu- nity, but we may not have fur- ther opportunities," Mr Khan said. A Ukrainian self-propelled artillery vehicle fires on the frontline in eastern Donetsk