France will double its supply of 155 mm shells to Ukraine, bringing it to 2,000 per month, French Minister of the Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu told Le Figaro in an interview published on March 28.
Ukraine's military uses 155 mm projectiles in the French Caesar self-propelled howitzers and the German Panzerhaubitze 2000 howitzers.
Lecornu also said, cited by French TV channel BFM Business, that France would "very soon" deliver SAMP/T air defense systems it had pledged to send to Ukraine in a joint effort with Italy. Ukrainian troops have already finished training on these systems, Italian news outlet ANSA reported on March 19.
Russia's full-scale invasion left the European defense industry unable to rapidly meet expected EU orders for Ukraine.
On March 20, EU foreign and defense ministers approved an initiative to jointly provide 1 million rounds of 155 mm ammunition to Ukraine.
However, explosives shortages and production capability may hinder Ukraine's supply schedule for ammunition, according to the Financial Times.
According to Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, Ukraine is firing an average of 110,000 155mm-caliber shells a month — a quarter of the amount used by Russia.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
