The EU will deliver 1 million shells to Ukraine

Correspondent in Brussels

The Europeans will dramatically increase their military support to Ukraine. They will supply 1 million projectiles and rockets for a total of 4 billion euros in a year, financed by 2 billion from the EU. The agreement was signed on Monday in Brussels during a meeting of the European Council of Foreign and Defense Ministers. The head of Ukrainian diplomacy, Dmitry Kuleba, welcomed the decision of the EU “Strengthening Ukraine’s capabilities on the battlefield”.. For High Representative Josep Borel, it is “historical decision”.

According to Politico, the EU has delivered 350,000 shells to Kyiv since the beginning of the Russian invasion. But in this war of attrition against Russia, Ukraine’s needs for artillery ammunition, especially 155 mm rounds, are enormous. Although the rocket fire from the Russian side seems to have slowed down, the leader of the Wagner Militia, Yevgeny Prigozhin, is worried. “lack of ammunition”. – Ukraine cannot compete with its aggressor. The Russian side fires 20,000 shells per day, against only 6,000 to 7,000 on the Ukrainian side. “We need artillery, ammunition, modern tanks, long-range missiles, modern fighters”President Zelensky argued during his European tour at the beginning of February.

Group purchases

The Europeans’ plan, which the 27 will return to at their weekend summit in Brussels, has three dimensions. Specifically, it is primarily a matter of guaranteeing quick supplies to a country at war. To do this, member states will use their stockpiles of projectiles, particularly 155 mm, and surface-to-air missiles, and/or redirect Ukrainian orders that have already been placed with manufacturers. Storage must be done by May 31, that is, less than two months later. “Without this deadline, there was a risk that the ammunition would not arrive or arrive quickly enough.“, says the EU diplomat. Member countries will be reimbursed 50-60% of their shipments. To this end, 1 billion euros will be mobilized from the European Peace Fund, the fund now mainly devoted to military support for Ukraine.

In order to induce them to part with some of their munitions, the capitals had to ensure that they could quickly replenish their supplies. This is the purpose of the group purchases, which will be launched in parallel, more or less on the model of what was done for the vaccines against Covid. These purchases will also benefit from €1 billion in funding from the European Peace Fund. In detail, they could be coordinated by the European Defense Agency (EDA) or lead member states, provided they manage to convince two other member states to join their order. The Group of 17 member states plus Norway signed a preliminary agreement on Monday to jointly purchase 155 mm ammunition, which has been tested by the EU’s European Defense Agency. Germany has already indicated that it will coordinate orders while participating in EDA tenders.

Even if no official decision has been made, France is also considering this option of a leading partner. However, tight deadlines have been set. So, orders should be placed no later than September 30. And the motto is coordination. No way to raise prices. These orders must be signed with European or Norwegian manufacturers, as this country also participates in this shipping and purchasing program. If this is not done, no compensation can be made on the European Peace Fund.

However, the production capacities of 15 European companies supplying ammunition are insufficient at this stage. Lead times for 155mm rounds are currently just over 12 months. The aim is to reduce these to 6-8 months, encouraging producers to produce more. “Taking into account the state of stocks, taking into account the needs of Ukraine, we have to create a shock on the offer.”, the EU diplomat emphasizes. This is the third part of the Europeans’ plan. Defense Industries Commissioner Thierry Breton, in particular, is stepping up his trips to encourage manufacturers to step up. In a few weeks, the Commission will put the support program for these companies on the table. The Europeans are going to increase the funds of the European Peace Fund as well. The extension of 3.5 billion euros has already been assumed.