Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that if Europe wants to restore peace, it must increase weapons production and ban the export of artillery ammunition to other continents.

In a column in the French publication Le Monde, Kuleba said that due to a critical shortage of artillery shells, the Ukrainian army is unable to destroy Russian artillery and protect its soldiers.

"If Ukraine finds itself in this situation today, it is because our allies in Europe and the United States discussed for several months before deciding to supply us with sufficient quantities of artillery ammunition. As they did not speed up the production of weapons on time, they took their time before purchasing military equipment from third countries and exported projectiles produced in Europe to other regions of the world," the minister said.

He thanked the allies for the decision taken at Paris Conference on February 26 to increase the purchase of ammunition from third countries, but stressed that "this is not enough" and "decisive and systematic decisions are needed."

"There are some simple and obvious solutions our partners can take to help our warfighters. Ukraine needs more artillery ammunition and long-range missiles to repel Russian attacks and liberate its territory. It needs Patriot and other air defense systems to protect its cities. Funds for faster repair of military equipment at bases in Ukraine, and not abroad," he said.

At the same time, he urged partners not to allow themselves to be guided by fear. "Fear does not prevent problems, it aggravates them," the Foreign Minister said.

The minister agreed with the words of French President Emmanuel Macron that Europe does not need to wait for the results of the U.S. presidential elections, since "our continent, our freedom and the future of our children are at stake, and we must act now."

Kuleba said in 2023 Ukraine increased the capacity of its defense industry by about 300%, and in 2024 it should increase its potential by another 600% compared to 2023.

"Our friends must also step up their game and get on par with Ukraine if they are serious about achieving our common goal of restoring peace in Europe. They should invest more in defense production and ban the export of artillery ammunition to regions outside Europe. These days, every ammunition produced in Europe must be used to protect it," Kuleba said.

Speaking about Macron's statement about the possibility of sending foreign military personnel to Ukraine, Kuleba indicated that if this hypothetically happens, Western soldiers "will face the same acute shortage of ammunition as the Ukrainians."

At the same time, he said numerous statements about the exclusion of the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine are not a blow to Ukraine, but they are a blow to European security.

“Let’s make no mistake: Putin sensed that war instilled a primal fear in Europeans, and he took note. Unfortunately, too many people in politics and society do not understand that the era of peace in Europe is over,” the head of the Foreign Ministry noted.

He also recalled that during ten years of Russian aggression and two years of large-scale invasion, Ukraine has never asked foreign soldiers to fight against the Russian Federation.