The European Commissioner for the Internal Market and Services Thierry Breton informed that the European Union can produce a million artillery munitions by the spring of 2024, which will then be sent to Ukraine.
Politico writes about it.
Breton emphasized that the European Union will abide by its obligations. To do this, it will be necessary to reduce exports to non-EU countries and ensure the pressure of the governments of the blocʼs members on their defense industries to increase production.
- 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.