Ukrainian artillerymen with an M777 howitzer in the Kherson region on January 9, 2022.
Brussels – The European Union wants to give one billion euros (23.5 billion crowns) for quick deliveries of artillery ammunition to Ukraine. This was written today by the DPA agency, which has become familiar with the EU's plan. The EU subsidy should cover up to 90 percent of the costs of providing 155 millimeter ammunition. Artillery should play a key role in the Ukrainian army's efforts to recapture territories now occupied by Russian forces.
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The proposal, which will be presented next week at an informal meeting of defense ministers by the head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell, is counting on the sum of one billion euros. The money from the European Peace Facility (EFP) is to be used for the transfer of ammunition from the warehouses of member countries or for the supply of freshly produced artillery shells.
Brussels also talks about the need for joint purchases by member countries and the strengthening of ammunition production capacities on the continent. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also recently appealed for this.
Some member states have previously spoken out in favor of a significantly higher amount than what Borrell's proposal envisages. For example, Estonia wanted to release up to four billion euros from the EFP, which would enable the purchase of approximately one million 155-millimeter artillery shells, Le Monde writes.
