Members of the European Union are working to fill in the gaps for Ukraine as Congress in the U.S. continues to stall the passing of additional military aid.
Kyiv is posed to receive a significant boost to its artillery shell stash, thanks to an emergency effort led by the Czech Republic, according a Bloomberg report last week that cited Czech Deputy Defense Minister Jan Jireš. The aid package, which involves several European countries, comes as Ukraine faces an ammunition crisis as its war against Russia rages on.
It is unclear how the artillery package is being financed, but Jireš told Bloomberg that it is backed by Canada, Denmark and other countries that do not want to be identified. Belgium also pledged $216 million to the Czech-led initiative last week, as did Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who announced Saturday that the Netherlands would donate $162 million to the effort.
In total, the new package will deliver over 800,000 shells to Ukraine over the next several months, according to Czech President Petr Pavel, including 500,000 155 mm shells and 300,000 122 mm shells.
In an interview with Bloomberg, Jireš said that the latest effort is "demonstrating we are actually doing something, not waiting what is going to happen on the (Capitol) Hill."
Newsweek reached out to Ukraine's defense ministry for comment via email on Monday night.
While the White House has stood unequivocally beside Kyiv since the launch of Russia's invasion, House Republicans have resisted signing off on a bill for additional aid to Ukraine that doesn't also include their specific demands for funding and reform focused on the U.S.-Mexico border.
Senate members passed a bipartisan foreign aid bill last month that allocates additional aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, although House Speaker Mike Johnson has refused to take the bill to his chamber's floor for a vote.
The Pentagon told reporters in January that fighting in Congress is preventing the Department of Defense from "meeting Ukraine's most urgent battlefield needs to include things like artillery rounds, anti-tank weapons, air defense interceptors."
Washington has been a key supplier of 155 mm shells to Ukraine, and has provided over 2 million rounds since February 2022. The U.S. Army announced last month that it has plans to double its monthly production of ammunition by the fall to meet Ukraine's needs along the front lines, with plans to reach production rates of up to 100,000 shells per month by October 2025.
However, according to Doug Bush, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, the Army requires additional funding from Congress to reach the 100,000 mark. With current funding, the U.S. is on track to increase production to 80,000 shells—nearly three times its current production rate—by the fall.
Other European allies have also announced plans to boost Ukraine's artillery stash, which has reached critically low levels in recent months. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said during the Munich Security Conference that his country has pledged its "entire artillery" to Kyiv.
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Kaitlin Lewis is a Newsweek reporter on the Night Team based in Boston, Massachusetts. Her focus is reporting on national ... Read more
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