European Commissioner: By the end of the year, the EU will be able to produce 1.3 million shells — a part will be transferred to Ukraine

European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton said during his visit to Estonia that the European Union will be able to produce 1.3 million shells by the end of this year.

This is reported by RTBF.

Breton said that this is a priority task, because the European Union should help Ukraine with ammunition and replenish its own stocks. Part of the announced number of shells will be transferred to Ukraine.

"We are going through a decisive moment for our collective security in Europe and in the war of aggression waged by the Russian Federation in Ukraine. Europe must and will continue to support Ukraine with all its resources," said Breton.

He added that by March or April 2024, the EU will reach a production capacity of one million projectiles per year, which he talked about earlier.

• In March 2023, EU member states promised to increase the supply of artillery shells to Ukraine, as the troops at the front faced a shortage of them. The countries agreed to a plan that included the supply of ammunition from their stockpiles and joint orders for the production of projectiles. The goal is to deliver one million rounds of ammunition to Ukraine within a year.
• At the end of November 2023, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, announced that the European Union had transferred almost 300,000 artillery ammunition to Ukraine out of the promised million.
• Earlier, Politico wrote that the key obstacle to delaying the projectiles is slow production. First, against the background of demand, the cost of production has increased significantly. It now costs €8,000 to produce the simplest 155 mm projectile — compared to €2,000 before the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. Secondly, there are now 14 modifications of these shells, and NATO countries should standardize their parameters. The process has already started, but it takes some time.
• On January 11, 2024, the spokeswoman of the European Commission, Johanna Bernsel, assured that the European Union will be able to produce one million rounds of ammunition for Ukraine by the end of this winter.