Seven EU countries order ammunition to aid Ukraine

That’s according to Reuters, Ukrinform reports.

“Seven Member States have already placed orders for 155mm ammunition through the EDA’s fast-track procedure. More orders, for instance for national replenishment purposes, could materialise in the coming weeks and months," the European Defence Agency (EDA) said.

The EDA said the EU deals were for both complete shells and for components such as fuses, projectiles, charges and primers. In addition, the scheme covered four "modern firing platforms designed and produced in Europe ... and most commonly used by the Ukrainian armed forces", naming them as France’s CAESAR, Poland’s Krab, Germany’s PzH2000 and Slovakia’s Zuzana C/2000.

The EDA declined to name the countries or state the size of the orders, saying much of the information was confidential.

In response to queries from Reuters, Lithuania and Luxembourg said they were among the seven.

The scheme was set up as part of a plan worth at least 2 billion euros, launched in March with the aim of getting a million shells and missiles to Ukraine within a year. The orders - placed under contracts negotiated by the European Defence Agency (EDA) - are for 155mm artillery rounds, one of the most important munitions in the war of attrition between Ukraine's troops and Russian invaders.

Until now, defence procurement has largely been the preserve of the bloc's 27 individual member governments.

By placing orders before the end of this month, the countries are eligible for reimbursement from an EU-run fund, the European Peace Facility, for ammunition procured for Ukraine - although Luxembourg said it would not request this.

As reported by Ukrinform, NATO has framework contracts for ammunition worth 2.4 billion euros, which cover 155mm artillery, anti-tank guided missiles and main battle tank ammunition.  This helps member countries to replenish their stockpiles while they continue to help Ukraine.