Less talk, more shells. Ukraine tells EU leaders to get serious about ammo.

PARIS — As 20 European leaders gathered in Paris on Monday to discuss how to support Kyiv better against Russian advances, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered a sharp reminder that the EU had massively undershot promises on ammunition deliveries.

Speaking in Kyiv ahead of the summit, Zelenskyy underlined the EU's failure to deliver 1 million shells by March.

"Of the million shells promised to us by the European Union, not 50 percent arrived, but 30 percent. Unfortunately," said Zelenskyy alongside the Bulgarian prime minister at a press conference.

Speaking at the opening of the conference at Elysée Palace, French President Emmanuel Macron told delegates the moment required "strong decisions and a wake-up call."

We need to see "how we can do more: more in budgetary support, more in military support," he continued.

For all the posturing, however, France has been a prime offender in not pulling its weight in terms of arming Kyiv. While data from the Kiel Institute shows Germany has given and pledged €17.7 billion to Ukraine, with Britain offering €9.1 billion, France has only supplied €635 million.

The summit on Monday had the lofty aim of showcasing Europe’s resolve to increase support for Ukraine and was attended by leaders including Spain’s Pedro Sánchez, Germany’s Olaf Scholz and Estonia’s Kaja Kallas, as well as ministers from the U.K. and the U.S.

A message by Zelenskyy at the opening of the summit, stressing Kyiv's gratitude, was only partially broadcast to the public. 

The high-level gathering came as Ukraine, which has entered its third year of war against Russia's invading forces, faces an ammunition gap on the front line and uncertainty over fickle Western support, despite having signed bilateral security deals with France, Germany, Italy, Canada and Denmark. A new U.S. aid package is still blocked in Congress.

In addition, half of the West’s commitments on military gear don’t arrive in time, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov complained this weekend. 

In Paris, the leaders were expected to discuss ways to better coordinate their support and “counter the impression that things are falling apart,” according to an aide to the French president.

Despite the rising stakes and the sense the West is choking, no new announcement of weapons deliveries are expected, the aide added.

Macron’s international leaders’ conference may backfire, said Mujtaba Rahman, managing director for Europe for Eurasia Group. 

“If there is no concrete outcome, rather than demonstrate western resolve, [the conference] will show how fragile their unity really is and that the EU doesn’t really have a plan on how to support Ukraine,” he said.  

There will be disappointment, said Rahman, if there is no help on the battlefield, no answer to ammunition gap and no resolution to the “quasi-academic” debate over arms purchases, with France insisting on buying European, to boost the continent’s defense industries. 

The Czech Republic has identified 800,000 shells for sale from outside the EU, but wants other governments to help foot the bill. Countries including France, Greece and Cyprus have so far refused to pay with European money for ammunition coming from outside the bloc.

Ahead of the summit, however, an Elysée advisor gave some indication that France may be willing to show some flexibility, telling reporters the French president’s stance was not “dogmatic” even if it is important to incentivize the EU's own stuttering defense industry.