EU cannot deliver 1m shells to Ukraine by March: Borrell

The European Union (EU) would miss the target to deliver one million rounds of artillery shells to Ukraine by March, Josep Borrell, high representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, told a press conference on Wednesday, reported Xinhua.

After the informal meeting of EU defense ministers, Borrell said by "destocking, and individual and joint procurement," the EU would only be able to deliver 524,000 shells, or about 52 percent of the objective, by March.

However, he said as production capacity increases, the EU would be able to deliver to Ukraine more than 1 million rounds by the end of this year.

Last year, EU member states pledged to supply Ukraine with 1 million 155-millimeter shells by March 2024 as its conflict with Russia drags on.

Borrell said that the EU's production capacity has increased by 40 percent since Russia's special military operation against Ukraine in February 2022, and it would reach 1.4 million by the end of 2024.