"It is clear that classical gun ammunition is something that is very much important. [Ukrainian] President [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy talked about it. And we have to do more and quicker on that. And that is not because we lack capacity, what we lack is funding," Borell said on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
EU foreign policy head said that defense manufacturers needed new production orders, adding that the Ukraine conflict's future would depend on unmanned aerial vehicles and artificial intelligence technologies.
At the same time, Borrell noted that the EU "too often hesitated" to supply new types of weapons to Kiev and the situation on the battlefield might have been developing differently if the bloc's actions were "more decisive."
Western countries have been providing military and financial aid to Kiev since the start of Russia's military operation in Ukraine in February 2022. The Kremlin has consistently warned against continued arms deliveries to Kiev, saying it would lead to further escalation of the conflict. In April 2022, Russia sent a diplomatic note to all NATO countries on the issue of arms supplies to Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned that any cargo containing weapons for Ukraine will become a legitimate target for Russian strikes.