EU approves $2.1 billion ammunition plan for Ukraine
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The EU Council of Foreign Ministers will host a meeting in Brussels on Monday to furthermore discuss sending more ammunition to Kiev.
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A Ukrainian army member holds a machine gun in a trench at a position on the front line near the village of Travneve in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, on February 21, 2022. (Reuters)
The European Union approved a 2.1 billion dollar ammunition plan for Ukraine, as media reported on Monday while citing diplomats.
The EU Council of Foreign Ministers will host a meeting in Brussels on Monday to furthermore discuss the matter.
In the meantime, Norway announced delivering eight Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, a contribution that along with those of other countries will allegedly be "decisive" for an upcoming Ukrainian offensive.
"The eight Leo (Leopard) 2s are all in Ukraine," Stine Barclay Gaasland, spokesperson for the Norwegian Armed Forces, told AFP in an email.
The Scandinavian country announced in February that it would give eight of its ageing Leopard 2A4s to Ukraine.
Norway intends to replace the tanks with the more modern Leopard 2A7s and has recently ordered 54.
"For Ukraine, the donation of tanks will be decisive to their ability to conduct offensive operations and retake the lands occupied by Russia," lieutenant colonel Lars Jensen, head of Norway's Armoured Battalion, was quoted as saying in a statement.
The war in Ukraine started in February 2022 after the people of the Donetsk and Lugansk republics asked for aid in defending themselves against Ukrainian provocations.
As such, ever since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Western countries have been sending military aid to Ukraine, which includes various kinds of weapons and rocket systems, air defense missiles, tanks, and anti-aircraft guns.
Read more: War in motion: Will new Western arms tip current balance in Ukraine?
Germany announced sending 14 Leopard 2A6 tanks to Kiev in late January. Other Western countries took similar initiatives.
Weapons came rushing from European countries, as well as the United States. Deals were struck left and right to ensure that Ukraine had the ammunition advantage against Russia in its war.
Some countries went overboard. Not only did they send military aid but also trained the Ukrainian army.
For instance, on February 8, Sunak announced that the creation of new programs is intended to expand the horizons for military training for Ukraine's troops so as to form new fighter jet pilots and marines. "I am proud that today we will expand that training from soldiers to marines and fighter jet pilots, ensuring Ukraine has a military able to defend its interests well into the future," he said.
As a result, Russia warned that sending more ammunition to Ukraine would lead to escalating the war, which will inevitably lead to a direct Russia-NATO conflict.
The Kremlin repeatedly warned that sending arms against Russia to Ukraine will escalate further hostilities.
Read next: Sending weapons to Ukraine would weaken British Army: Chief
![In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had "engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)](https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2024/12/21/b4a69f2e-8682-43e4-9d37-49482b304ab3/3.png?v=2&format=webp "In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had \"engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)")
