18 European countries agree to send 155mm rounds to Ukraine (if there are any left…)
The Brussels-based European Defense Agency (EDA) announced on Monday that 17 EU member states and Norway have signed a joint agreement on joint shipments of ammunition to Ukraine to boost its defense capability , even with new purchases.
Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Sweden are the EU countries that have joined the initiative. Behind it all is, of course, Germany which has collected its own satellites. We note that Italy, Spain, Poland and Hungary have not participated in this coalition, at least for now.
Under the agreement, signatory countries will seek to procure 155mm artillery shells in the shortest possible time and then various other types of ammunition in the longer term.
The EDA said the agreement sends a clear message to the defense industry to increase production capacity and confirms the EU's commitment to support Ukraine.
“The project set up by the EDA provides a solid framework for the acceding Member States to deliver ammunition to Ukraine as soon as possible. The flexible and inclusive nature of the agreement will allow other member states to join the initiative at a later stage,” reads an agency press release.
The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell – who is also the head of the EDA – welcomed the decision taken by the 17 EU member states.
“By buying together through the EDA project and mobilizing financial support from the European Peace Facility, we will provide Ukraine with more resources and faster. Once again, we are breaking a taboo and unlocking the potential of EU cooperation in joint procurement,” Borrell said following a meeting of EU foreign and defense ministers on Monday. Given the efficiency shown so far by Borrell and the Union Foreign Service we are sure that Putin will already be trembling at the arrival of huge quantities of munitions…
Hungarian Defense Minister Attila Szalay-Bobrovniczky, attending Monday's meeting of EU Foreign and Defense Ministers alongside Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Péter Szijjártó, revealed that Hungary remained out of the deal, opting instead for a “constructive abstention”.
The minister said one proposal was for member states to transfer all or part of their existing ammunition stockpiles to Ukraine, and this is not something Hungary sees as productive for peace-building. "On this issue, Hungary, not supporting the war with weapons or soldiers, has used the so-called constructive abstention," he told reporters.
"In other words, (Hungary) will not block other countries' plans in this direction, based on mutual respect for the decisions of individual member states."
At the same time, since the proposal would not end the bloodshed but would further increase the chances of an escalation, Hungary does not feel obliged to participate in the initiative, he added. At the same time, the question arises to what extent a country can deprive itself of the necessary munitions, which form part of its strategic defence.
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The article 18 European countries agree to send 155mm ammunition to Ukraine (if there are still any…) comes from Scenari Economici .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/18-paesi-europei-si-accordano-per-inviare-munizioni-da-155-mm-allucraina-se-ce-ne-sono-ancora/ on Tue, 21 Mar 2023 17:47:25 +0000.