BRUSSELS – EU negotiators agreed on Friday to increase ammunition manufacturing in the EU as part of a campaign to arm Ukraine and replenish depleted arsenals.
The $545 million (500 million euro) Act in Support of Ammunition Production, or ASAP, aims to boost production of artillery rounds and missiles.
“This is yet another proof of the EU’s unwavering commitment to supporting Ukraine,” said Margarita Robles, defence minister of Spain, which now holds the rotating presidency of the EU.
As European allies struggle to keep up supplies for Ukraine’s fight against Russia, Brussels says it intends to increase the bloc’s production capacity to a million shells per year within the next year.
Negotiations between EU member states and legislators were hurried in order to implement the proposal.
The European Parliament and capitals must now give its final assent.
The programme will grant funds to businesses aiming to increase their production capacity.
EU member states have also adopted a new two-billion-euro agreement to send a million rounds to Ukraine from their stockpiles this year and jointly purchase munitions for Kiev.
So far, the union has fallen far short of its goal of providing a million howitzer shells to Kyiv.
Ukrainian forces say they are running out of ammunition as they attempt to drive Moscow’s troops out of captured territory in a gruelling counter-offensive.
Since Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine in February, the EU claims to have given equipment worth roughly 15 billion euros.
Source: AFP