the only way Ukraine To control Vladimir Putin’s army is to feed the country enough. ammo Enough to withstand the 50,000 shells Russia can fire every day. That’s what they’re trying to promote and accelerate this Tuesday and Wednesday. european union defense ministers At an informal meeting held in Stockholm by Sweden’s bi-annual EU presidency. Prepared by the team of the EU’s high representative for foreign policy, Josep Borrell, the plan includes three lines of action: immediate shipment of ammunition available Commissioning in European reserves, especially at 155 mm joint purchases to replenish stocks and guarantees the supply of Member States and the adoption of “urgent” measures. Increasing European production capacity long-term.
“Three elements are crucial to maintaining our support for Ukraine in the future,” and “the three paths must be followed in parallel and urgently,” says the unofficial document to which El Periódico de Catalunya of the Prensa Ibérica group has applied and will serve. as a reference. This Wednesday is the basis of the discussion. To respond to this challenge, Brussels, European Peace Fund (EPF in English abbreviation), conducted within the framework of the Joint Task Force on the Procurement of Public Defense (combining the European External Action Service, the European Defense Agency and the European Commission) and currently led by the European Defense Agency (EDA), of which 3,600 million have already been allocated to Ukraine. joint procurement efforts Jiri Sediv.
The highlight of the defense meeting, which will kick off with a dinner this Tuesday, will take place with the first speech by Ukraine’s defense minister on Wednesday. Oleksiy Reznikov, for the last hour on the battlefield and the Ukrainian army’s need for weapons. 27 will also take their inventory Ukrainian soldiers training missionbased on an analysis Germany and PolandBefore we start discussing how to accelerate the supply of artillery ammunition, joint purchases of ammunition and increase in European production capacity.
Emergency ammunition delivery
The head of European diplomacy asked the European defense ministers a few weeks ago to deliver all the high-caliber ammunition they have in their arsenals to Ukraine because the consumption rate is higher than the supply rate. “We will produce more, but surrender what you have while it is produced,” Borrell said in an interview with El Periódico de Catalunya on the occasion of the first anniversary of the war. This is the most pressing need facing Kiev and which Brussels sees as a priority to respond. “Member States are urgently urged to supply ammunition, particularly the 155mm,” says the four-page non-paper document prepared for the discussion.
To encourage deliveries as soon as possible and to provide predictability to Member States, Brussels proposes a reimbursement rate of expenditure by countries sending ammunition before a given date of up to 90%, given the extreme urgency and depletion of ammunition stocks. Member states. This repayment percentage may be revised later, depending on the evolution of Ukraine’s needs. Borrell also made this expense a An additional package of 1,000 million euros EPF, whose donation was increased by another 2,000 million last December.
joint purchases
The second pillar of the strategy is the structuring of demand and joint purchase of ammunitionLet the Twenty-Seven, through the European Defense Agency, replenish and replenish their reserves as soon as possible and have the capacity to continue supplying ammunition to the Government of Volodymyr Zelenski. The idea would be to leverage the work led by EDA, which identified seven possible categories of joint purchases and includes everything from guns to 155mm ammunition. Planning to use this framework to respond to current and future needs, the Commission said, “To date, 25 Member States and Norway have already confirmed their interest in participating in this project.”
According to the text, given the urgency, the agreement should be signed. this “March” at the latest, This will allow EDA to start negotiations and close contracts on behalf of Member States, accelerating the possibility of placing “real orders” on European industry. The document also proposes to finance orders to replenish national stocks from national budgets and supply ammunition to Ukraine through the EPF, which could allocate the remaining 1,000 million euros approved in December for this purpose.
increase production
The third line of action passes increase production capacities on the continent in the long run. “Joint efforts to support Ukraine and allow Member States to replenish their stockpiles can only be effective if the EU proposal provides the necessary defense products in a timely manner.” Due to depleted stocks, European production in capacity and rising prices, “additional industrial policy measures may be needed to achieve a rapid increase in production capacities,” the document says.
To this end, map EU production capacities throughout the supply chain, help identify and eliminate production bottlenecks, promote efficient reorganization of supply chains and production lines, facilitate procurement procedures for the delivery of defense products and related raw materials, facilitate expedited authorization, and address any barriers to accessing finance. According to Swedish government sources, the aim of the meeting, which will be attended by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, is to limit methods and funding and close a deal before it is approved by European leaders at the meeting on 20 March. At its peak on March 23 and 24.