In March 2023, the EU developed a plan to provide Ukraine with one million artillery shells, one of the key weapons in the Russian-Ukrainian war. The plan consists of three parts: supplies from the stocks of EU armies, investment in production, and ordering shells from arms companies under a joint procurement scheme coordinated by the European Defense Agency.
According to Reuters, the EU transferred about 300,000 artillery shells to Ukraine from its stocks and only 60,000 within the framework of joint purchases. Together, these programs made it possible to obtain about 480,000 artillery rounds, which, according to the EU, is less than half of what was planned.
In this regard, some argue that many EU governments have not backed their claims of long-term support for Ukraine by placing orders with arms companies. Others insist that the industry needs time to ramp up production.