The European Union wants to deliver howitzer shells to Ukraine faster

The priority now is to guarantee a quick supply of 155 millimeter shells to the Ukrainian armed forces, said an EU official with direct knowledge of the matter.

The official was not authorized to speak publicly about the matter because work on the plan has not yet been completed.

The EU is helping Ukraine through the European Peace Mechanism, which is used to provide compensation to member states that supply Ukraine with arms and ammunition, provide military support.

Under the latest proposals, member states providing ammunition would immediately receive guarantees of quick repayment and at high reimbursement rates.

Member States will have to use an additional billion euros to finance this project. In December, they already agreed to allocate an additional two billion euros to the European Peace Mechanism, with the possibility of an additional 3.5 billion.

The EU is also encouraging third countries to join the fund, the official said. “We are in discussions with the Norwegians, with potential interest from the Canadians.”

In parallel, the European Defense Agency will collect requests from member states for stockpiling and lead an accelerated procedure for direct negotiations with ammunition manufacturers in Europe.

According to the official, a total of 12 companies in nine member states produce 155 millimeter ammunition.

The European Commission will incentivize them to increase production volumes with guarantees regarding long-term demand, making the project more compelling for them, the official said.

According to various estimates, Ukraine fires 6,000 to 7,000 artillery shells every day. That’s about a third of what Russia fires every day.

EU defense ministers will discuss the plan next week, and foreign and defense ministers will review it again on March 20.

Leaders could confirm this at a summit in Brussels on March 23 and 24.