German Defense Minister Says European Union Failed To Meet Target Of 1 Million Artillery Bullets For Ukraine

Illustration of 155mm artillery shells. (Wikimedia Commons/Cpl Timothy Jones/MOD)

JAKARTA - The European Union failed to meet its target of supplying 1 million artillery shells and missiles to Ukraine in March, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Tuesday.

Present at a meeting of EU defense ministers in Brussels, Belgium, Defense Minister Pistorius also questioned the wisdom of setting targets in March this year, with a deadline of 12 months.

Minister of Defense Pistorius' comments were the first public confession made by a senior European minister that the target would not be achieved, although diplomats and officials have personally expressed skepticism for months regarding the purpose.

"I didn't promise 1 million bullets, and it was intentional. The right question to ask was whether 1 million bullets were a realistic goal," he told reporters.

"There were voices warning: 'It's best to be careful, 1 million is easy to say, the money is there, (but) production must exist'. The voices of the warning, unfortunately, have been proven at this time," he continued.

"It can be assumed that 1 million bullets will not be achieved," he said.

The target of 1 million bullets was set in response to Ukraine's urgent and sustainable demand for 155 millimeter artillery shells. The weapon became a key element in the war against the Russian invasion.

Some officials say the European industry does not have the production capacity to meet the target.

However, some also argue that setting ambitious goals that encourage countries to make bookings and companies to invest, in increasing capacity, is still feasible.

Separately, EU Head of Foreign Policy Josep Borrell said the bloc had provided more than 300,000 artillery shells and missiles under the first scheme, involving EU member countries that delivered their respective arsenals.

Earlier, the European Union's Defense Agency said by the end of September, seven European Union countries had ordered ammunition based on the scheme. It does not provide value or volume of orders, citing confidentiality.

Borrell argues that part of the problem is that the European defense industry exports about 40 percent of its production to countries outside the bloc.

"Maybe what we have to do is try to shift this production to priority, namely Ukraine," Borrell said.