NATO allocates $1.2 bln for artillery shell purchases

NATO concluded an agreement on the purchase of about 220,000 artillery shells of 155 mm caliber. For this, 1.2 billion dollars was allocated.

The NATO press service reported this.

The respective contracts were signed by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Director General of the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) Stacy Cummings.

"Russia's war in Ukraine has become a battle for ammunition, so it is important that Allies replenish their own stockpiles while we continue to support Ukraine," Jens Stoltenberg said.

In July 2023, the leaders of the Alliance countries agreed on the NATO Action Plan for Defense Production.

At the same time, NSPA agreed on ammunition contracts worth about $10 billion.

This includes:

• 5.5 billion dollars for the purchase of 1,000 missiles for the Patriot air defense system,
• $4 billion for shells for 155 mm artillery, anti-tank guided missiles, and ammunition for tanks.

In November 2023, NATO decided to buy 6 E-7A Wedgetail aircraft with a contract to be signed in 2024.

Earlier, NATO countries, in particular Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, and Spain, announced the purchase of thousands of missiles for the Patriot complexes to strengthen the air defense of the Alliance after Russia's massive missile attacks against Ukraine.

Thanks to this contract, the allies will be able to give Ukraine more of its defense systems.

For reference:

On May 3, the Council of the EU approved a decision on aid for Ukraine in the amount of 1 billion euros for the joint procurement of ammunition and missiles.

The procurement plan included a budget of 1 billion euros to reimburse member states for supplies, an additional 1 billion for jointly purchasing ammunition, and a boost in production capacity within the EU.

As reported, in September, the European Defense Agency signed eight contracts with industry for the joint purchase of 155-mm ammunition for Ukraine.

It was also reported that the USA is trying to increase the supply of 155-mm ammunition, which is critical for Ukraine. The country concluded an agreement on the supply of 155-mm ammunition to Ukraine with Bulgaria and South Korea.

On November 14, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius admitted that the European Union would not be able to provide Ukraine with one million artillery shells by March 2024. This was also reported by the Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba.

On January 11, the European Commission announced that the European Union could produce one million rounds of ammunition for Ukraine by the end of the winter of 2024.

Recently, the European Commissioner for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton, said that the European Union plans to produce 1.3 million shells by the end of this year, and the priority will be to send most of them to Ukraine.