We need a military Schengen to move military personnel and materiel more quickly and efficiently. This will make Europe stronger. We took an important step: Poland, Germany and the Netherlands signed a declaration to achieve a military corridor.
— Kajsa Ollongren (@DefensieMin) January 31, 2024
The West will need two years to make enough ammunition for Ukraine to get them on the same level as the Russians. Western countries are forced to increase supplies to Ukraine at the same time as building up their own defense arsenals, FT writes. https://t.co/Dh09Fva2Jm
— NOELREPORTS 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@NOELreports) January 29, 2024
"Rheinmetall is building a new factory in Germany in record time for the production of ammunition to create strategic security of supply to both the Bundeswehr and Ukraine," Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger said. https://t.co/vvJ3hEOFDx
— NOELREPORTS 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@NOELreports) January 29, 2024
💥 155mm artillery shell production update 💥
— Colby Badhwar 🇨🇦🇬🇧 (@ColbyBadhwar) January 28, 2024
Rheinmetall discloses that of Q3 2023, annual production was 350,000 shells. In 2025 they expect to double that to 700,000 shells per year. https://t.co/RkDJY57HDQ
H/T @Jeff21461 pic.twitter.com/Bw1AqFkfOE
Strategic acquisition in 🇷🇴 #Romania: #Rheinmetall acquires majority stake in #military #vehicle maker Automecanica Mediaș SRLhttps://t.co/hF33YQMWWy #Defence #Army pic.twitter.com/TAA9ozhgPZ
— Rheinmetall (@RheinmetallAG) February 1, 2024
Olaf Scholz and four other European leaders have admitted that the EU has "fallen short" of its goals to supply Ukraine with artillery ammunition.
"At the beginning of last year, the EU committed itself to an ambitious goal of supplying Ukraine with 1m artillery rounds before the end of March 2024. The hard truth: we have fallen short of this goal.
"Russia doesn't wait for anybody and we need to act now. If Ukraine loses, the long-term consequences and costs will be much higher for all of us. We Europeans have a special responsibility. Therefore, we must act. Europe's future depends on it," they write in a letter published in the Financial Times on Wednesday.
The letter is signed by Scholz and Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister; Kaja Kallas, the Estonian prime minister; Petr Fiala, the Czech prime minister; and Mette Frederiksen, the prime minister of Denmark.
The German chancellor is on a mission to get clarity and hard evidence on what other member states, particularly France, contribute to the war effort amid concern that his government's commitments are not being matched elsewhere.
After he raised concerns that there was not enough data on who contributed what, the EU's diplomatic unit, the European External Action Service, has conducted a survey requesting that each member state disclose their planned expenditure for 2024 and beyond.
Sources say some countries have declined to reveal their commitments, fuelling suspicion that some member states are using confidentiality of military plans for convenience.
Germany Warns EU Falling Short on Pledge to Supply Ukraine With Ammo | European Union | The Guardian