Finland's defense minister calls for increased Western support for Ukraine
Finland's Defence Minister Antti Kaikkonen from the National Coalition Party has urged the West to bolster its support for Ukraine. He stated that Europe has not fully comprehended the gravity of the war through a historical lens and has not provided Ukraine with sufficient assistance, reports Yle.
"Funding for military support in Ukraine must be found immediately," Kaikkonen said.
The Finnish Defence Minister also emphasized the significance of increasing the European Union's own weapons production. He noted that progress has already been made in this area.
"European countries have been able to ramp up their own production and are close to reaching their target," he said.
The EU’s goal is to supply Ukraine with one million artillery shells this year. The Czech Republic previously reported finding 800,000 artillery ammunition pieces outside the EU and has approached other EU and NATO countries seeking financial help in purchasing these munitions.
The estimated cost of the ammunition is around 1.3 billion euros, and a funding decision has not yet been taken. By the end of this year, it is estimated that EU countries will have produced approximately 1.3 million ammunition units, and production is expected to further increase by 2025.
Earlier, Ukraine's Minister for Strategic Industries, Oleksandr Kamyshev, stated that Ukraine requires an amount of ammunition that no country could supply, including the United States.