By Lili Bayer, Andrew Gray and Michel Rose
BRUSSELS, March 20 (Reuters) – European Union leaders said on Thursday that they will continue to support Ukraine, but they did not immediately endorse a call by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to provide at least 5 billion euros for artillery ammunition purchases.
“We need funds for artillery shells and would really appreciate Europe’s support with at least five billion euros ($5.42 billion) as soon as possible,” Zelenskiy told the EU leaders meeting in Brussels via video link.
The bloc’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, had also called on leaders to match words of support for Kyiv with deeds, as U.S. President Donald Trump pushes ahead with his efforts to end the war, including through a rapprochement with Russia.
“The stronger they are on the battlefield, the stronger they are behind the negotiation table,” Kallas said of the Ukrainians.
In a statement, all EU leaders except Hungary’s Viktor Orban pledged to “continue to provide Ukraine with regular and predictable financial support”. They also said EU members should “urgently step up efforts to address Ukraine’s pressing military and defence needs”.
There was no concrete answer on the 5 billion euros. But summit chair Antonio Costa said EU members had promised 15 billion euros in aid for Ukraine in recent weeks and he believed they would increase those pledges further.
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