EU's support for Ukraine is all talk, no action - Donald Tusk
European Union leaders' words regarding aid to Ukraine lack implementation, Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on X following the European Council meeting on April 17.
"If all the words that were said in the last years here in Brussels about common defense could be changed into bullets and rocket launchers," Tusk tweeted, "Europe would have become the strongest power in the world. And the safest place."
Despite the strong rhetoric, the EU summit did resolve to urgently supply Ukraine with air defense assets and expedite military support.
Ammunition shortage in Ukraine
Ukraine's Lt. Gen. Ivan Havryliuk told the BBC in December 2023 that Ukraine is increasing its production of kamikaze drones to compensate for the shortage of artillery ammunition.
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Military officials stated that the Ukrainian army faced a shortage of artillery shells and scaled back some operations due to a lack of assistance from the West.
Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Feb, 17 that the Ukrainian Armed Forces withdrew from Avdiivka, Donetsk Oblast. He said that the decision was made to avoid encirclement and to save the lives and health of the soldiers.
Read also: Lacking support from the US, Ukraine has spent $4 billion from its budget on armaments & ammunition
Ammunition shortage partly influenced the loss of positions, Syrskyi added.
UK intelligence suggests that as of March 2024, the situation in the conflict zone remains unstable, particularly due to personnel and ammunition shortages, limiting the ability of Ukrainian forces to hold positions.
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Russian forces will likely continue ongoing offensive efforts to destabilize Ukrainian defensive lines in Spring 2024 while also preparing for a forecasted new offensive effort in Summer 2024, the U.S.-based think tank ISW said on March 15.
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