EU Pledges to Produce One Million Projectiles for Ukraine by Spring
The European Commission believes that the European Union will be able to manufacture one million projectiles for Ukraine by spring of this year, despite temporary delays in the process. This statement was made by the spokesperson for the European Commission on Defence Industry, Johanna Bernsel, during a briefing in Brussels on January 11.
"European industry already has production capacities significantly exceeding one million artillery projectiles, and we will achieve this goal by spring," she said.
Johanna Bernsel also noted that there are realistic estimates for achieving this goal by spring, as planned. However, the representative of the European Commission mentioned that she is unaware of the current status of member states within the European Union regarding deliveries, but Bernsel is confident in the overall production volume.
At the same time, the official representative of the EU's foreign policy service, Peter Stano, stated that by the end of December, over 300,000 projectiles had been delivered to Ukraine, with 3,300 rockets from existing stocks.
"We also have at least 180,000 projectiles for which orders have already been placed as of the end of December, and this quantity is increasing in accordance with contracts," he explained.
According to Reuters, as of early December, member states of the European Union have only transferred 480,000 artillery projectiles to Ukraine out of the promised million by spring 2024.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, during his visit to Estonia, urged the country to collaborate with the EU to expedite the delivery of one million projectiles for Ukraine.
"The decision regarding the artillery package is very powerful and absolutely correct. The only thing we counted on was getting it in March. The conversation and proposal from the Estonian side were about a million projectiles. Unfortunately, we did not receive the complete package," noted Volodymyr Zelensky.
In early December, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius reiterated his earlier statement that the EU would not be able to deliver one million projectiles to Ukraine by spring 2024 but emphasized that the situation could improve.
"You can be sure that the situation will improve in the coming months. Germany alone will provide nearly 200,000 projectiles. But everything takes time, and it is not a matter of political decisions or financial resources," emphasized the head of the German Ministry of Defence.
Earlier, the European Commission called on EU countries to exert pressure on the defence-industrial complex to increase the production of projectiles for Ukraine.