Norway and 17 EU countries agree to jointly procure munitions for Ukraine - European Defense Agency

BRUSSELS. March 21 (Interfax) - Norway and 17 European Union countries agreed on Monday to jointly procure munitions for Ukraine, the European Defense Agency (EDA) said in a statement.

"Eighteen states sign on Monday the European Defense Agency project arrangement for the collaborative procurement of ammunition to aid Ukraine and replenish member states' national stockpiles," the statement said.

Apart from Norway, the initiative was joined by Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, and Sweden. Some other states also plan to join the project soon, the EDA said.

The initiative enables the 18 countries to procure 155mm artillery shells in line with a fast-track procedure within the next two years and envisions subsequent procurements of munitions of various types and calibers, ranging from 5.56mm to 155mm, within the next seven years.

Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said on the sidelines of a joint meeting of EU foreign policy and defense chiefs that the countries reached agreement to supply Ukraine with 1 million artillery shells over the next 12 months.

Western media said the plan cleared at the ministerial level is based on a proposal by High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and European Commission Vice President Josep Borrell.

The plan envisions urgent supplies of ammunition from depots in EU countries, which would receive compensation of up to 1 billion euros from the European Peace Facility. It implies that the member states combine their capabilities to jointly procure ammunition to replenish their stocks and continue assisting Kiev and ramp up the manufacturing capacity of the European defense industry so as to be able to meet the demands of both the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the EU itself.

The proposals approved by the expanded Council of the EU on Monday will now be submitted to the European leaders at an EU summit on March 23-24.