EU will probably not be able to deliver promised ammunition to Ukraine
The EU plans for the delivery of one million artillery shells to Ukraine by spring 2024 are doomed to failure, according to Defense Minister Boris Pistorius. "The one million will not be achieved. We have to assume that," said the SPD politician on Tuesday at a meeting of EU defense ministers in Brussels.
Pistorius also cited insufficient production capacities as the reason. By concluding framework agreements, Germany had made a major contribution to increasing capacities, he explained. However, the production processes are "as they are". Not even a decision on a war economy could lead to production starting up tomorrow and demand being met.
Money is there, but production is not
Pistorius also made it clear that he has always had doubts about the EU target issued in March. "I didn't promise a million - deliberately not," he said. Even before the decision was made, there had been voices saying: "Be careful, one million is easy to decide and the money is there - but the production has to be there." Unfortunately, the admonishing voices were now right, he added.
The EU's progress in supporting Ukraine and aid plans for the future were the top topic on the agenda of the defense ministers' meeting in Brussels on Tuesday. On March 20, the EU states promised Ukraine that they would provide one million new artillery shells for the defensive war against Russia within twelve months. They are to be organized from the stocks of the member states, but also via new joint procurement projects and prevent shortages in the Ukrainian armed forces.
Production must be ramped up and accelerated
According to information from EU circles, only around 300,000 of the planned artillery shells have been delivered so far. Pistorius said that the EU was working closely with the arms industry to find ways in which projects could be implemented more quickly. "Production must be ramped up and accelerated. That is the order of the day".
- Despite EU Minister Boris Pistorius' acknowledgment of insufficient production capacities, EU plans to deliver a million artillery shells to Ukraine by spring 2024 seem unlikely to materialize, as he stated during a meeting with EU defense ministers in Brussels.
- Pistorius, who expressed his doubts about the EU's target of delivering a million artillery shells to Ukraine, highlighted that even before the decision was made, there were concerns about the availability of production, as sufficient money was available but not the necessary production resources.
- In an attempt to meet Ukraine's demand for artillery shells, the EU is collaborating closely with the arms industry to expedite production and increase the pace of shell deliveries, as EU Minister Boris Pistorius pointed out during the defense ministers' meeting in Brussels.
Source: www.dpa.com
