Latvian president on ammo for Ukraine: EU should talk to any gov’t ready to sell

President Edgars Rinkevičs of Latvia said the European Union should negotiate with any countries, except for some, that are ready to sell artillery rounds to be forwarded to Ukraine.

The politician spoke in an interview with Suspilne, reports Ukrinform.

"I know there are some so-called third countries that still buy ammunition from European factories. And if we can delay, for example, their purchases because they don't have an active contingency in place, then that's probably what we should do," Rinkevics said, according to a report posted in Ukrainian.

However, the Latvian president noted that this requires the joint effort on the part of European institutions and certain state actors.

"But I wouldn’t set any restrictions to this end, except, of course, in relation to Russia’s friends and allies," the politician added.

Earlier, Minister for Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba of Ukraine said he believes the European Union will not be able to fulfill its plan to deliver a million artillery shells to Ukraine by March 2024 due to the current pace of production and bureaucratic obstacles.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics arrived in Ukraine on an unannounced visit on Friday. He visited reconstruction projects, financed Latvia in Chernihiv region. The politician also met with President Volodymyr Zelensky and discussed further assistance to Ukraine, as well as aid at the level of NATO and the EU.