As with corona vaccines
EU examines joint purchase of ammunition for Kyiv
2/17/2023, 6:38 p.m
In the Ukraine war, the EU is remembering a tried-and-tested tool against the corona virus: As with vaccines, Brussels is currently examining a joint procurement of ammunition by the member states. A million grenades should go into the shopping basket.
According to information from diplomatic circles, the EU is examining the possibility of joint purchases of ammunition. The topic is on the agenda of the foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels on Monday, according to diplomatic circles. Estonia has put the following proposal to its partners: Member States should allocate EUR 4 billion to enable the purchase of 1 million 155mm shells.
According to Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, the procedure would be comparable to buying vaccines during the Covid 19 pandemic. “No decision on this issue is expected on Monday,” stressed several EU diplomats, pointing out that there were still many points to be discussed. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba is due to attend the meeting in Brussels shortly before the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and is expected to call for more arms supplies.
“I am very much in favor of the Estonian proposal to mobilize the European defense industry to jointly order, buy and produce ammunition,” said European Council President Charles Michel in an interview with the French daily Liberation. He will submit “operational proposals” for this.
NATO Secretary General: Alliance supplies are depleted
“The war in Ukraine is devouring an enormous amount of ammunition and exhausting the supplies of the allies,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg recently calculated. The pace of production in the countries of the alliance cannot keep up with the needs of the Ukrainian army. “It puts pressure on our defense industry,” he added.
On Tuesday, Germany then agreed to produce the much-needed ammunition for the Gepard anti-aircraft vehicle, which is deployed in Ukraine. The contracts with the manufacturers have been signed, said Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius. A total of 300,000 cartridges are to be delivered. Because the ammunition stocks for the tank are mostly in Switzerland, which has not yet agreed to a transfer to the Ukraine for reasons of its neutrality.
Reliable figures on requirements are not available, but both sides use a great deal of ammunition in the protracted war, which is characterized by trenches and constant artillery fire. In July, the Russians fired up to 50,000 grenades a day and the Ukrainians up to 6,000, French military sources said. Since the Ukrainian counter-offensive, however, consumption has risen sharply – and will continue to rise if Kiev has to withstand the expected Russian offensive.