Ukraine: 17 EU nations and Norway agree artillery plan
- Buying weapons together on this scale is new step for EU, which has seen efforts to collaborate more on defence propelled by Russia’s war
- Brussels said EU firms making ammunition need to switch to ‘war economy mode’ after scaling back since the end of the Cold War
Seventeen European Union countries plus Norway agreed on Monday to jointly procure ammunition to help Ukraine and to replenish their own stockpiles, the EU’s European Defence Agency said.
“The project opens the way for EU member states and Norway to proceed along two paths: a two-year, fast-track procedure for 155mm artillery rounds and a seven-year project to acquire multiple ammunition types,” the agency said in a statement.
The countries signed a so-called project arrangement, setting out the terms of reference for their joint procurement effort. The document is a precursor to starting talks to industry with the aim of signing contracts.
“Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden and Norway have signed,” the agency said.
“More member states have already expressed their intent to join the initiative soon following national procedures.”
Ukraine has complained that its forces are having to ration firepower as Russia’s year-long invasion has turned into a grinding war of attrition.