Deliveries to Ukraine: How the EU plans to tackle the ammunition shortage

In the defensive fight against Russia, Ukraine is in danger of running out of ammunition – it is firing more than can be produced in the same period of time. The EU is now advising on further deliveries and joint purchases.

For weeks, modern fighter jets have been discussed, whether or not they should be delivered to Ukraine. About highly complex weapons systems capable of intercepting even more Russian missiles.

Now it turns out that ammunition could run out for the weapons that have long since been delivered to Ukraine. Because Ukraine fires far more ammunition every day than is produced by the armaments industry in the same period of time – so the stockpiles are empty.

This alarm call came from NATO headquarters. Europe must deliver, the EU chief diplomat Josep Borrell also demands of Europe’s defense ministers, they must above all react more quickly. Borrell will put a plan on the negotiating table of the ministers at their meeting in Stockholm – a kind of to-do list on how arms production in Europe can be boosted. According to Borrell, this involves large amounts of ammunition – especially for tanks and artillery, which the Ukrainian army urgently needs.

Joint procedure for repeat orders

At the top of the defense ministers’ to-do list is a call for ammunition from their own stockpiles to be handed over to Ukraine – as soon as possible. This isn’t about donations – the levy is almost entirely reimbursed from an extra fund for arms supplies that bears a remarkable name: the Peace Facility. This pot is to be increased by one billion euros in the short term for ammunition deliveries

The second item on the defense minister’s to-do list is the call for joint action in the future when ordering ammunition and weapons. National solo efforts should be avoided. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has already offered help: It could be organized in the same way as the joint ordering of vaccines in the corona pandemic, she suggested at the Munich Security Conference.

During the pandemic, von der Leyen negotiated centrally with the pharmaceutical companies and guaranteed fixed purchase quantities. That’s what you have in mind now. The armaments industry should be able to rely on multi-year supply contracts for the ammunition. “This gives the industry the opportunity to invest in product lines now in order to be faster and to increase the delivery volume,” said von der Leyen in Munich.

However, it is still unclear who will foot the bill for the centralized purchase of ammunition. EU diplomats report that some countries want to further increase the pot called the peace facility, while others are in favor of a special pot.

Nothing decided yet

Guaranteed purchase quantities and possibly also financial support or cheap loans, as demanded by parts of the Brussels Commission – that should be good news for Europe’s armaments companies. However, one that is far from being decided by the defense ministers. Critics point out that the armaments companies have already benefited greatly from the war against Ukraine and that aid money from tax funds – for example for new production halls – is not easy to justify.

It is therefore considered likely that the defense ministers will first deal with the first two items on the to-do list at their meeting in Stockholm: the rapid delivery of ammunition from their own stocks to Ukraine and the joint procurement of supplies.

That shouldn’t be enough for someone in the EU Commission. Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton has been trying for a long time to control Europe’s armaments production more specifically from Brussels. Now, in times of war, he sees himself confirmed. The armaments companies must switch to “war economy mode,” he explained before the start of the consultations in Stockholm. The EU must also pay something for that. The EU budget can also be used, the news agency dpa quotes the Brussels Commissioner for the Internal Market, and the armaments industry should also be able to access funds from the European Investment Bank more easily.