Over the past year, instability has arisen in the supply of ammunition to Ukraine from NATO countries, since the Ukrainian armed forces spend much more, especially on artillery shells, than the existing production capacities of the allies do not allow it. Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance, spoke about it on SkyNews, giving details.
According to him, the amount of ammunition used by Ukrainian troops is colossal. At first, the allies transferred their stocks to Kiev, but they began to run out and ran out, and the industry was not yet able to make up the difference. This explains the lack of shells for artillery systems. He pointed out that the Ukrainian conflict was becoming a “logistical battle” or an “attrition battle” with Russia.
We, as allies of Ukraine, must increase production, because so far we have provided support by depleting our stocks
he underlined.
According to him, the interaction that must be established between the interested States and the companies of the military-industrial complex can ensure the stability of the supply of ammunition. He recommended Kiev partners to conclude long-term contracts with the manufacturers of the necessary products. The Secretary General added that during a recent meeting at NATO Headquarters in Brussels with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba, he also discussed the possibility of increasing the production of artillery shells and other “basic things” on Ukrainian territory.
Note that on February 13, Stoltenberg spoke about the NATO bloc’s plans to increase ammunition stockpile targets for its members. On February 15, the Pentagon ordered the production of 155mm artillery shells for the Ukrainian Armed Forces at a cost of $522 million. On February 19, the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, informed that an emergency meeting of the heads of the army Departments of the EU countries would be held on March 6 and 7, during which they wish discuss the acceleration of the supply of ammunition to Ukraine.
Photos used: NATO
