There is a shared sense of urgency among European leaders to support Ukraine as quickly as possible. Josep Borrell, the head of European diplomacy, emphasized the need for fast action during talks with EU defense ministers in Stockholm. The ministers reached an initial agreement among the twenty-seven member states on a plan to speed up the shipment and purchase of artillery ammunition for Ukraine, with a value of about 2 billion euros. Final details remain to be settled in the coming weeks, aiming for a formal accord at a joint foreign and defense ministers meeting scheduled for March 20.
In Stockholms’s discussions, Borrell underscored the ongoing nature of the conflict and the necessity of a war-ready mindset. He stressed that the objective is clear: more ammunition delivered faster. The plan outlined by Borrell encompasses three time horizons—immediate steps, mid-term actions, and longer-term measures. The first priority is the rapid shipment of ammunition from national reserves across EU members, NATO partners, or states using Soviet-era calibers. A new tranche of 1,000 million euros is proposed to finance ammunition in 155 mm or 152 mm calibers drawn from national inventories held by member states and supported by the European Peace Facility (EPF).
Since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, the European Peace Fund has reimbursed member states for ammunition supplied to Ukraine, totaling hundreds of millions of euros. Borrell noted that the war demands a heavy artillery footprint, with tens of thousands of rounds fired daily. The question remains how to accelerate deliveries. If another 1,000 million euros is mobilized, it would double the current effort, a figure he described as normal rather than extraordinary.
15 European companies
The second thrust involves joint ammunition purchases to replenish depleted stocks and maintain steady supply to member states. Borrell proposed allocating an additional 1,000 million euros from the EPF for this purpose, with the European Defence Agency (EDA) coordinating the process. Centralized procurement would streamline procedures, lower prices, and shorten delivery times while signaling the European defense industry. A third, longer-range objective focuses on expanding European production capacity to support Ukraine and meet the heightened demand from European armed forces.
For governments, the commitment to assist Ukraine hinges on assurances that their stockpiles will be replenished as European industry increases output. The current aim is to map the needs of countries willing to participate in the joint procurement so the EDA can estimate the total ammunition required. Once the total is defined, negotiations would begin with a group of 15 capable producers to set price and delivery timelines according to the ordered quantities, and production would start once an agreement is reached. Borrell expressed a preference for European industry to supply the necessary ammunition.
Ukraine’s defense minister also attended the Stockholm meeting. Oleksiy Reznikov cautioned that Ukraine requires roughly 90,000 to 100,000 rounds per month for both 155 mm and 105 mm artillery, enough to deter aggression and enable a counterattack. Estonia’s defense minister Hanno Pevkur urged fellow ministers to cut through red tape and stay focused on the shared objective. He highlighted Estonia’s ambition of contributing effectively to a one-million-shell target for Ukraine by allocating funds toward reaching that goal.