The Ukrainian army needs ammunition, especially shells. kyiv relied heavily on promises from the European Union. Despite the release of new financial aid of 50 billion euros, in terms of munitions, the account is not there.
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The head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell himself admitted this on Wednesday January 31: the EU will not be able to deliver a million shells by March, as it had promised. So far only 330,000 rounds of ammunition have been delivered. “ I expect this figure to increase by 200,000 shells » by the end of March, i.e. “ just over 52% of the target » set last year, he added.
If the European Union is not keeping pace, it is because stocks are not sufficient and manufacturers are not necessarily playing the game. The leaders of Germany Olaf Scholz, Dutch Mark Rutte, Estonian Kaja Kallas, Czech Petr Fiala and Danish Mette Frederiksen called on Europeans to “ redouble their efforts “to ensure that military support for Ukraine lasts” as long as necessary “. “ We must therefore find ways to accelerate the delivery of artillery ammunition promised to Ukraine », they wrote in a joint letter published by the daily Financial Times. Several European countries, including France, Italy and Spain, are accused of not doing enough to help the Ukrainian army. Paris, which did not sign this letter, denies it, and announced in January a coalition on artillery to better help Ukraine.
But for Guillaume Ancel, former French officer, author of the book Saint-Cyr, at the Grande Muette schoolthe situation can only improve: “ The brilliant idea of the European Commissioner [en charge de l’industrie de défense] Thierry Breton is to have launched a common initiative which no longer consists of relying on a few national manufacturers but to say “we must create a defense Airbus”. »
The European Union hopes to reach 1.4 million shells before the end of the year. A capacity increased to two million in 2025, said Commissioner Thierry Breton on Wednesday January 31. Certainly, far from the 7 to 8 million shells fired last year by Russia, but the quality of the weapons can make the difference, according to Guillaume Ancel.
“ If we manage to supply a million very high quality shells to artillery guns which are themselves very high quality, I would say that it is the equivalent of three million shells in the face. But at some point, if it is too outnumbered, it is no longer a problem of technological superiority but of numbers. »
The EU finds itself forced to step up the pace while all American aid is blocked in Congress.
(With AFP)
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