The European Union announced that it will significantly increase ammunition production this year in response to Ukraine’s growing demands for support in its war against Russia. This announcement comes as Russia summoned the French ambassador to protest against France’s “increasing involvement” in the conflict.
Simultaneously, Ukraine has urged Western countries to prevent Russia from accessing key components for its weapons production, as the second anniversary of the war approaches. This prolonged conflict has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths.
Thierry Breton, European Commissioner for the Internal Market, confirmed during a visit to Estonia that the EU would be capable of producing at least 1.3 million rounds of ammunition by the end of this year. He emphasized the critical moment for Europe’s collective security and the necessity for Europe to continue supporting Ukraine with all means.
Breton mentioned that by March or April 2024, the EU’s 27 member states would reach their production capacity goal of one million shells annually, planning to enhance this capacity to approximately 1.3 to 1.4 million by the year’s end. He stressed the importance of prioritizing Ukraine in this production increase due to the urgent need there.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called for greater efforts to prevent Russia from obtaining weapon parts for its offensive. He noted that up to 95% of the vital components produced abroad and found in destroyed Russian weapons in Ukraine come from Western countries. Kuleba didn’t provide evidence for his statements, but Kyiv regularly dismantles Russian missiles and drones that fall on its territory for analysis.
On the ground, Ukraine launched an attack that caused a massive fire at an oil depot in western Russia, as reported by a Ukrainian security source. The attack targeted a depot in Klintsy, about 70 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. This was the second attack on an oil depot in two days, following Kyiv’s announcement that it had struck an oil storage facility in Russia’s Leningrad region.
Kyiv has targeted Russian oil and gas infrastructure throughout the nearly two-year conflict, describing these attacks as just retribution for strikes on its territory. Meanwhile, Russia has intensified diplomatic pressure, summoning the French ambassador in Moscow to formally complain about France’s growing involvement in the conflict.
The French Foreign Ministry denied Russian statements about French mercenaries, describing them as “another clumsy Russian manipulation.” France has been a key ally of Ukraine since the start of the Russian offensive, with French President Emmanuel Macron announcing this week that Paris would send dozens of long-range missiles to Ukraine. Macron also urged arms manufacturers to speed up production to increase weapon supplies to Ukraine, emphasizing the need to respond more quickly to Ukraine’s needs and warning that a Russian victory would mean the end of European security.
