The European Union is behind on plans to provide Ukraine with a million artillery shells by March. Under plans adopted earlier this year, the EU promised to provide Ukraine with artillery ammunition within 12 months, first from existing stockpiles and then through joint procurement contracts and increased industrial capacity. Bloomberg reports this, citing sources. Let us recall that Polish General Waldemar Skrzypczak believes that the winter offensive of the Russians is very dangerous and can change the course of the war.
As the publication writes, this initiative has already provided about 30% of what was planned and, based on the volume of contracts signed to date, risks not achieving its goal. Several member countries privately appealed to the bloc’s foreign ministry with a request to extend the deadline for fulfilling contracts, the agency’s interlocutors added. They said the US, aiming to increase its own production to about 1 million rounds a year in 2024, called on the EU to step up its efforts. White House officials declined to comment.
With Ukraine’s counteroffensive making limited progress and allies preparing for a long war, the EU’s promised supply of ammunition is critical to helping Ukraine keep pace with Russian production. By some estimates, Russian factories will supply 2 million shells next year, while Moscow also receives supplies from North Korea and continues to purchase Soviet-era shells.
According to one of the interlocutors, the allies hoped that their joint support would match Russia’s in volume and that Kyiv would benefit from the superior standards of Western ammunition and weapons. The people asked not to be identified discussing their concerns about military supplies. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was concerned that a war between Israel and Hamas would distract the United States and its allies from Ukraine’s fight to retake its territory from Russian occupiers.
While there is currently little overlap between Israel’s and Ukraine’s overall ammunition needs, even redirecting small quantities of 155mm artillery shells from Kiev if Israel needs them makes a difference when there are so few of them, the source said.
The shipments from existing EU stockpiles included mortars as well as higher caliber shells, according to people familiar with the matter.
By 31 May, member countries had delivered approximately 223,000 artillery munitions (long-range self-propelled munitions, precision-guided munitions, and mortar munitions) and 2,300 missiles of all types. Peter Stano, EU Representative.
“EU members have continued to provide ammunition since then, and seven countries have placed orders for 155mm ammunition through the European Defense Agency.“, he added.
EU member states are reluctant to provide specific information about what they have provided or about the contracts they have signed, and Stano declined to discuss details of contracts or the value of orders placed.
However, some countries have shared figures privately, including at meetings this week where several member states asked the EU’s External Action Service to extend the March deadline. About a dozen countries, including the Baltic states, Germany, the Netherlands and Poland, have supplied or plan to jointly supply between 300,000 and 400,000 munitions, mostly under the EU initiative. Sweden, Finland, Denmark and non-EU member Norway have placed orders worth 52 million euros ($55 million), with production starting next year.
According to one of the interlocutors, since the initiative was launched, the price of ammunition has increased, meaning that the current budget may not be enough to achieve the goals.
These figures do not include all deliveries made since the Russian invasion, and some countries may have supplied ammunition outside the EU or not disclosed their supplies. Some member countries also have their own procurement programs and are seeking to strengthen their industrial capabilities in the same way as Ukraine.
Previously, President Joseph Biden’s address to US citizens was published: “We cannot and will not allow terrorists like Hamas and tyrants like Putin to win.”
Source: Fakty
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