Aid packages will be used with weapons and ammunition in the war against Russia
The EU (European Union) and the United States announced at the Monday (20.Mar.2023) the sending of additional military assistance to Ukraine. Together, the packages add up to around US$ 2.49 billion (R$ 13 billion at the current exchange rate).).
The remittances meet the Ukrainian government’s pleas. Kiev has estimated it will need 350,000 shells a month by the end of the year to stem the advance of Russian troops and launch counter-offensives.
European aid was signed by 17 countries in the bloc: Germany, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Slovakia, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Holland, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, Czech Republic, Romania and Sweden, in addition to Norway. Here’s the full (802 KB).
The amount will be released in phases:
- 1st stage – €1 billion (about R$5.6 billion) in shared funding. Countries must ship their stocks to Ukraine by the end of May;
- 2nd phase – plus €1 billion to order new projectiles. Contracts must be signed by early September.
The agreement also calls for countries to share details of their ammunition stocks. This type of information is often confidential.
There are questions about how much EU members and Norway can give away from their stocks without leaving themselves vulnerable. Therefore, the idea is that they increase industrial capacity.
U.S
At the same time, the US government announced the sending of additional military assistance worth US$ 350 million (R$ 1.8 billion) to Ukraine. Here’s the full of the press release (250 KB, in English).
In the note, the secretary of Estos of the North American country, Antony Blinken, said that the package includes ammunition, missiles, cannons, combat vehicles, anti-tank weapons, riverboats and other equipment that Ukraine is using to defend itself against Russian attacks.
“Russia alone could end the war today. Until it does, we will remain united together with Ukraine for as long as it takes.”, concluded Blinken.
Read who are the biggest donors of military aid to Ukraine:
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