EU to produce 2 million artillery shells in 2025, new defense commissioner tells media

The European Union is expected to manufacture around two million artillery shells in 2025, Andrius Kubilius, the newly appointed EU Commissioner for Defense and Space, told Hromadske news outlet.

Addressing concerns about whether Europe has sufficient production capacity to boost military support for Ukraine, Kubilius said that only 20-25% of EU-supplied weapons are produced within the bloc, with the remainder purchased from external sources.

Kubilius emphasized that increasing arms production in the EU depends on orders from European governments, which are currently insufficient. Without long-term contracts with defense manufacturers, he warned, Europe is unlikely to ramp up weapons and ammunition production for Ukraine in the coming years.

"EU budget funds cannot be used to buy weapons for Ukraine. There are numerous restrictions on investing in defense industries outside the EU. However, funds from the European Peace Facility or frozen Russian assets can be utilized for arms procurement," Kubilius explained.

Next year, Ukraine is set to receive approximately 30 billion euros from the EU, Kubilius said, leaving Ukrainian authorities to decide how much of this support will go toward defense. Kubilius said there is also a new mechanism being introduced to integrate Ukraine's defense industry into the European defense ecosystem.

The European Council, in its final communiqué from the summit held on Dec. 18-19, urged EU member states to immediately enhance military aid to Ukraine. Leaders called for faster delivery of air defense systems, ammunition, and missiles, as well as additional training and equipment for new Ukrainian brigades.