French and Polish officials are allegedly at odds over whether local EU firms or competitors should receive the EU's joint contracts to supply Ukraine with ammunition, Politico reported on April 19.
The European Union approved the procurement of one million artillery rounds for Ukraine on March 20. Politico, citing three diplomats familiar with the situation, wrote that the plan has been for EU countries to "band together and draw money from a communal pot" to help provide the much-needed artillery over the next 12 months.
The program consists of three stages, namely the transfer of existing artillery rounds from the arsenals of EU countries, joint purchases of ammunition, and the production of the remaining artillery rounds.
One of the main points of contention pertains to the level of restrictions on funding for EU manufacturers, and to what extent countries such as the U.S. and U.K. should be involved in procurement. According to Politico, France has been pushing to keep the funds within the EU.
Diplomats told Politico that it was ultimately a question of "speed or European industry" as Europe's defense industry may not be capable of delivering Ukraine one million shells over the next 12 months as promised.
At a meeting with EU defense ministers in Stockholm on March 8, Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said that the main priorities for Ukraine were more air defense systems and a million rounds of ammunition.
When reporting on the mass U.S. intelligence leak, the Washington Post wrote on April 12 that Ukraine's long-awaited counteroffensive, which is seen as a critical juncture to take back Ukrainian territory under Russian control, had apparently been delayed due to a combination of factors, including weather, slow equipment deliveries, and insufficient ammunition.
Alexander Khrebet
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