Spiegel: The European Commission will propose a three-stage plan to increase the supply of shells to Kiev The plan includes three stages: an increase in the supply of ammunition to Ukraine, in particular, 155-mm artillery shells, joint purchase of ammunition and the build-up of European capacities for their production
The European Commission has developed a three-stage plan that provides for an increase in the supply of ammunition to Ukraine, writes Der Spiegel. The commission is going to present it to the ambassadors of the EU member states on March 2.
- The first stage includes an immediate increase in the supply of ammunition to Ukraine, in particular 155-millimeter artillery shells. The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrel, is soon to announce an additional package of assistance to Kiev for EUR 1 billion, which will include the supply of ammunition, primarily 155-millimeter.
- The second stage provides for the purchase by the European Defense Agency of 155-millimeter shells to replenish the stocks of EU countries and ensure the supply of ammunition to Ukraine in the long term. 25 out of 27 EU countries and Norway have already expressed interest in joint procurement.
- The third stage concerns the increase in European ammunition production capacity.
The defense ministers are expected to discuss the proposals at an informal meeting in Stockholm early next week. A decision can be made already at the next summit of heads of State and Government at the end of March.
In early February, the office of the President of Ukraine stated that the military had “almost zero ammunition”. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called the spending of shells by Ukrainian troops in recent months “unprecedented”.
The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, at the Munich Security Conference called on the EU countries to unite and send more ammunition to Kiev as soon as possible. She, in particular, suggested thinking “about preliminary procurement agreements that give the defense industry the opportunity to invest in a production line now in order to work faster and increase the quantity they can ship”.
As Reuters reported later, Brussels is considering the possibility of joint purchase of 155-millimeter artillery shells for Ukraine. According to Bloomberg, Estonia offered to invest about 4 billion euros in this, and Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu called for sending a million artillery shells to Kiev in six months. Most EU countries supported the idea of common procurement.
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