The EU vowed early last year to send one million artillery rounds to Ukraine after a push by Estonia to make the pledge.

However, already in late 2023, EU officials were indicating that the bloc would likely fall short of its much-touted ammunition target, despite efforts to ramp up the bloc’s defence industry.

As it stands, around 524,000 shells will be delivered to Ukraine by the original date, which represents roughly 52% of its target, the EU’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell told reporters on Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters in Brussels, Borrell said the EU would eventually supply more than one million artillery shells to Ukraine by the end of the year as the bloc’s defence industry keeps ramping up production.