Poland insists on joint ammo purchase for Ukraine outside EU
As Ukraine needs more resources and the EU lacks them, Poland urges its partners to jointly purchase ammo outside the EU.
This will help Ukraine resist russia's aggression, Polish Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki says.
"In Brussels, there is a kind of Polichinelle secret that there is no ammunition in Europe. There are several regions in the world, including South Korea and Israel, where there are much more such munitions.
I expect that our joint discussions with the European Commission, several key countries, Germany and France will lead to the rapid receipt of ammunition, so that Ukraine needs them here and now," the head of the Polish government emphasized
At the moment, France opposes the purchase of ammunition outside the European Union. The state argues that the profitable contracts go to European companies.
"I will convince them (France – ed.) because ammunition is needed very quickly. Since we do not have such resources here in Europe in sufficient quantity, we have to buy it from outside, just as Poland is currently buying super-modern K2, K9 and Abrams weapons from abroad," the Polish Prime Minister emphasized.
He admitted that the consent of, for example, South Korea is also needed.
"This is where we should start. We can do this only if the person who sells to us gives permission to export, gives permission to transfer these ammunitions. We are, of course, a reliable partner, so we will do it only by agreement," Morawiecki emphasized.
South Korea has signed major deals to supply hundreds of tanks, aircraft and other weapons to NATO member Poland since the beginning of the full-scale war.
However, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said his country's law is against providing weapons to countries in conflict and this makes it difficult to transfer weapons to Ukraine.
On March 20, the ministers of foreign affairs and defense of the EU countries reached an agreement on a joint initiative to supply ammunition to Ukraine and replenish its own warehouses with shells.
On March 23, at the summit, the leaders of the European Union welcomed the plan to provide Ukraine with 1 million artillery shells over the next 12 months. The EU agreed on a plan to purchase ammunition for Ukraine.
The implementation of this plan provides for the provision of one million artillery ammunition to Ukraine within 12 months. Later, Poland and Spain joined them.
