Kaitlin Lewis
Several European nations are committed to providing Ukraine with the artillery it needs along the front lines against Russia, but ammunition may not reach Kyiv's soldiers for several more months.
In light of recent battlefield setbacks and the political divide stalling additional American aid packages, European countries have pledged to back a Czech-led effort to provide Ukraine with over 800,000 artillery shells, which includes a boost to Kyiv's 155mm and 122mm stockpiles. According to a report by The Wall Street Journal over the weekend, Czech officials have found suppliers from across the globe to deliver on their promises, and the shells are estimated to arrive in batches to Ukraine by the end of the year.
A senior Czech official told Reuters last week that the first shipment of artillery rounds could be expected in Ukraine by June at the latest. But after months of ammunition shortages, additional shells cannot come soon enough for Kyiv, which has been limited in its ability to hold off Moscow's advances without the necessary firepower.
Ukraine's artillery brigade is pictured during an instruction and training session near Chasiv Yar, Ukraine, on February 27. European countries have pooled to provide Ukraine with much-needed artillery shells, but the first batches of deliveries could take months to reach Kyiv.
Western intelligence has estimated that Ukraine is firing off 2,000 rounds for every 10,000 shots fired by Russia daily. Over the summer, Kyiv was estimated to be firing up to 7,000 per day.
The U.S. Army announced plans last month to ramp up its production of 155mm artillery shells to help "restock ourselves and also restock our allies." But with House Republicans holding out on passing any future Ukrainian assistance bills, Washington is limited in how much it can pledge to Kyiv.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov recently lamented that about half of the aid committed to Ukraine by its Western allies does not arrive on schedule. And the European Union said earlier this year that it is going to fall short in providing Kyiv with 1 million artillery shells by March. According to EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, only around 52 percent of the bloc's originally promised ammunition would be delivered to Ukraine this month.
"The Ukrainians are not running out of courage, they are running out of ammunition," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters last week.
Czech officials, however, are confident in their efforts to deliver on their vows to Ukraine. Prague previously said that it had enough funding from its allies to purchase the first 300,000 shells by March 8. Czech officials also confirmed with the Journal that it found an additional 700,000 shells to purchase from a foreign supplier for around $1.8 billion.
Russia has also face occasional dips in its weapons arsenal, although its domestic artillery production has ramped up in recent months, due to its allies such as Iran and North Korea. A senior European intelligence official recently told CNN that Russia is producing around 250,000 shells a month, roughly 3 million a year. In comparison, the U.S. and Europe are collectively producing around 1.2 million rounds for Kyiv annually.
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