​Europe will step up its efforts to deliver weapons and ammunition to help Kiev launch a counteroffensive against the Russian army that invaded its territory in early 2022, European Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton said in an interview with Le Parisien. Reuters, reports News.ro.

• “We will intensify our efforts to deliver weapons and ammunition because this is a high-intensity war in which they play a critical role.
• We are organizing as if this war will continue for several more months or even longer,” said Thierry Breton.

The former French finance minister reminds that Europe has committed to provide “within the next 12 months a million large-caliber ammunition: 155 mm, 152 mm, 122 mm, 120 mm, which meet NATO standards and the standards of the countries of the former Soviet bloc, because these weapons are still used by Ukrainians”.

Thierry Breton also reminds of the unblocking of a package of 500 million euros by the European Union to provide Ukraine with a sufficient amount of ammunition.

• “This is the first time we are coordinating our arms and ammunition production efforts together. Defense Europe is moving forward at full speed,” he said.

Official Kyiv: To defeat Russia, Ukraine needs more high-precision weapons with a range of 200 kilometers

Ukraine needs more high-precision weapons with a range of 200 kilometers to “consolidate” its offensive and defeat Russia, one of the deputy ministers of defense said in Kyiv, according to CNN.

“Ukraine is taking the initiative,” but in order to defeat Russia, high-precision, long-range weapons are needed, Volodymyr Gavrylov said on Saturday in a video published on the Telegram account of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

• “All our military plans are implemented according to estimates.
• In modern warfare, the main thing is to have situational awareness – to know the position of the enemy and to be able to strike accurately at long distances. That is, to have a weapon capable of hitting the enemy at a distance of up to 200 kilometers,” he said.

The official added that Ukraine will receive aircraft that will primarily protect it from Russian missiles.

“More than a year of war has passed, and we are sure that together with our partners, who provide us with everything we need, we will defeat the Russian invaders,” Gavrilov said.

In May, Britain and the Netherlands formed an “international coalition” to help Ukraine get F-16 fighter jets. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi has been fighting to get the F-16s, but allies have been reluctant to speak out over fears they could be used to attack Russian territory, which could spark an escalation between NATO and Russia.

After saying earlier this year that Ukraine did not need fighter jets, US President Joe Biden dropped his objections, signaling to European allies that he would allow Ukraine to receive F-16s.

Last month, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal confirmed that groups of Ukrainian pilots had been selected for training in Great Britain, where they would learn to fly modern fighter jets.