kyiv warns of ammunition shortage

The European Union intends to supply Ukraine with one million munitions by spring. Only 300,000 shells have been delivered to date, according to European parliamentarians.

Published


Update


Reading time: 1 min

A Ukrainian soldier on the Bakhmut front line, in the Donetsk region (Ukraine), January 10, 2024. (IGNACIO MARIN / ANADOLU / AFP)

Ukraine warns of a shortage of ammunition, almost two years after the start of the Russian invasion of the country. “The ammunition shortage is a very real and pressing problem that our armed forces are currently facing”lamented the Ukrainian Minister of Defense, Roustem Oumerov, Thursday January 18 on X. “We must strengthen Ukraine’s defense capabilities to protect the free world from Russian danger.”

Roustem Oumerov spoke on the occasion of the launch of an “artillery coalition”, led by France and the United States. This is one of the components of the contact group for the defense of Ukraine, known as the Ramstein group. “There is no alternative to modern artillery, we must continue our efforts and increase our ammunition production”declared the Ukrainian Minister of Defense by videoconference during the opening ceremony. France proposed on this occasion to “unblock a sum of 50 million euros” For “buy twelve Caesar” additional. It announced that it had the capacity to produce 60 more, the allies being responsible for financing them.

To fuel the guns, the EU intends to supply Ukraine with one million munitions by spring. Only 300,000 shells have been delivered to date, according to European parliamentarians. The Ukrainians fire between 5,000 and 8,000 shells per day, compared to 10 to 15,000 on the Russian side, according to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, Cédric Perrin. French and European production is extremely weak”And “not up to expectations” Ukrainians, he warns.


source site-29