Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on November 10 discussed with senior members of the country's military how to achieve self-sufficiency in the supply of artillery shells, missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and armored vehicles.
After the meeting, President Zelensky wrote on his personal Telegram channel: “(We discussed) the military budget for next year. The focus is on becoming more self-sufficient in artillery shells, missiles, UAVs and armored vehicles.”
Ukraine’s 2024 budget will allocate $46.9 billion for military needs. The meeting also clarified “plans and calculations” for the continued conflict, discussed ways to strengthen air defenses in the Kiev-controlled city of Kherson and the evacuation of Ukrainians from Gaza.
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| Ukrainian soldiers fire artillery near Maryinka, a city in the east, on May 8. (Source: AP) |
Kiev has previously said it is looking to establish domestic production of weapons, including UAVs, long-range missiles and air defense systems.
* On the same day, Bloomberg reported that Ukraine will not receive 1 million 155mm artillery shells as committed by the European Union (EU) and Brussels has informed EU member countries of this.
Bloomberg , citing European sources, said the EU has informed Ukraine that it is unlikely to deliver on its promise to deliver 1 million 155mm artillery shells by March 2024. Brussels does not have enough of these shells and does not have a facility capable of producing such a large quantity.
The EU has told member states it is unlikely to deliver on its commitment to supply Ukraine with 1 million artillery shells, complicating Kiev's ability to match Russia's ammunition output, the report said.
EU defence ministers will meet next week to continue considering the issue of supplying artillery shells to Ukraine.
In late October, Western media reported that the ambitious plan of EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell to provide Ukraine with 1 million artillery shells to “defeat” Russia had failed.
In the six months before the deadline, the EU was only able to deliver 30% of the promised ammunition to Kiev. And half of that ammunition was withdrawn from the empty arsenals of EU countries. Meanwhile, according to information from the front, the Armed Forces of Ukraine (VSU) have begun to save on artillery shells.
* Meanwhile, referring to the conflict situation, Chief of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Ermak, on November 10, surprised everyone when he said that the Russia-Ukraine conflict will end suddenly and 70% "is over".
“I don’t think anyone knows when the conflict will end. It will end very suddenly,” Ermak said in a statement. “However, if we compare it to a 100-meter race, I think we have run 70 meters. But the last 30 meters are the most difficult.”
Mr. Ermak said that there are many factors influencing the end of the conflict, “but I want it to happen as quickly as possible.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow, unlike Kiev, had never refused to negotiate. He said: “After withdrawing troops from the outskirts of Kiev – and we were asked to do this to facilitate the signing of the final agreement – the Kiev authorities abandoned all previous agreements…
So, I think the ball is completely in their court.” To start the dialogue, Mr. Putin proposed to cancel the decree of President Volodimir Zelensky prohibiting negotiations with Russia during the time Russia is headed by Mr. Putin. Russia also called for recognition of “real territory”.
For its part, Kiev stressed that it is ready to negotiate only after Moscow withdraws its troops and restores control over the territories to Ukraine.
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