The foreign ministers of the European Union (EU) agreed on Monday to release 2,000 million euros (about 2,140 million dollars) with the aim of providing ammunition to Ukraine and increase production on the bloc, diplomats said.
At a meeting in Brussels, the ministers approved a three-phase plan to deliver one million 155mm rounds to Ukraine, restore national strategic stockpiles and expand the bloc’s defense industry production capacity, diplomats from five delegations said. .
The plan of the EU countries to meet the Ukrainian demand for ammunition and 155mm shells has been the subject of intense discussions for several days, and even prompted a large meeting of diplomats on Sunday.
The approved plan contemplates committing 1,000 million euros so that the bloc’s countries can find projectiles in their reserves to send to Ukraine, and another 1,000 million to make joint purchases, primarily with European companies.
The Ukrainian government has repeatedly warned that its troops must ration their firepower, at a time when the war has turned into a grueling war of attrition.
Diplomatic sources point out that Ukraine needs about 350,000 projectiles a month to be able to contain the Russian advance and plan counteroffensives even this year.
Currently, Ukraine’s ammunition consumption far exceeds the production capacity of its Western allies.
For its part, the European defense industry complains that governments have not yet signed the long-term contracts they need to invest in more production lines.
The EU, meanwhile, is hoping that a massive joint order for 155mm shells will incentivize companies to increase production and investment.
Source: AFP
Source: Gestion
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