Highlights: Ukraine is requesting artillery to support its war effort against Russia. France, in recent days, has announced the delivery of various weapons ranging from the surface-to-air missile to the Caesar artillery cannon. “The shortage of ammunition is a very real and pressing problem that our armed forces are currently facing,” lamented Ukrainian Defense Minister Roustem Umerov on X (formerly Twitter) “ I called @EmmanuelMacron to thank France for launching the artillery coalition for Ukraine and for committing to producing dozens of Caesars,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said on social network X.

The Ukrainian army is facing a shortage of ammunition, Roustem Oumerov warned on Thursday. The Ukrainian Minister of Defense, who spoke via video conference on the occasion of the launch in Paris…

European military aid to Ukraine: an “artillery coalition” and French Caesar cannons to support the war effort

The Ukrainian army is facing a shortage of ammunition, Roustem Oumerov warned on Thursday.

The Ukrainian Minister of Defense, who spoke by video conference on the occasion of the launch in Paris of an “artillery coalition” led by France and the United States, recalled that this was a problem “ real and pressing” to counter Russian forces.

France, in recent days, has announced the delivery of various weapons ranging from the surface-to-air missile to the Caesar artillery cannon.

Ukraine is requesting artillery to support its war effort against Russia.

France offers a helping hand with its Caesar motorized cannons.

By: RFI Follow

In terms of military aid to Ukraine, this week has all the makings of French

momentum

Thursday morning, while he kicked off an “artillery coalition” led by Paris and Washington, Sébastien Lecornu did not hesitate to attack the

Kiel institute,

a German research institute

which regularly classifies Paris at the back of the pack of countries which help Ukraine militarily: all these rankings are false, with neither reliable nor viable data, insisted the Minister of the Armed Forces...

The

“artillery coalition”

launched Thursday January 18 is one of the components of the contact group for the defense of Ukraine, known as

the Ramstein group

, bringing together more than 50 countries in several subgroups, from mine clearance to air defense.

It is led by France and the United States and intended to make up for the lack of ammunition denounced by Ukraine.

“

The shortage of ammunition is a very real and pressing problem that our armed forces are currently facing

,” lamented Ukrainian Defense Minister Roustem Umerov on X (formerly Twitter), on the occasion of the launch of this coalition.

“

There is no alternative to modern artillery, we must continue our efforts and increase our production of ammunition

,” declared the Ukrainian Minister of Defense by videoconference during the opening ceremony, at which he canceled his visit “

for security reasons

”.

“

I called @EmmanuelMacron to thank France for launching the artillery coalition for Ukraine and for committing to producing dozens of Caesars

,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said on the social network X.

And Sébastien Lecornu points out that the quality of equipment has more value than quantity: “

French weapons are reliable

,” he said.

It is also high technology, like the

Scalp air-to-ground missiles

of which 40 will be delivered in the coming weeks,

the Head of State indicated Tuesday evening during his press conference

The Scalp is a weapon designed to destroy strategic targets far behind enemy lines, just like the A2SM bombs; Paris promises 50 copies each month to Ukraine.

France 🇫🇷 will deliver to Ukraine 🇺🇦, in 2024, around forty long-range SCALP missiles and several hundred AASM propelled bombs.

Objective: strengthen Ukraine's means to strike the Russian system in depth.⤵️

1/2 pic.twitter.com/pmm4QBricC

— Ministry of the Armed Forces 🇫🇷 (@Armees_Gouv) January 18, 2024

And so there are also the Caesar cannons.

Kiev has already deployed 49 Caesars, produced by Nexter (Franco-German KNDS group), and six others have already been purchased by Ukraine and will be delivered “

in the coming weeks

”, according to the French Ministry of the Armed Forces.

France has the capacity to produce 72 more and is ready to finance twelve, according to French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu.

There would remain 60 to finance, or some 250 million euros, “

a sum which, it seems to me, is accessible for the various budgets of the allies

”, he continued in front of the representatives of 23 countries supporting the defense of Ukraine.

Also read: Caesar cannons, mine clearance, drones: Ukraine places orders with French manufacturers

▫️ 6 of them have already been bought by Ukraine and will be delivered soon.

▫️ 12 are financed through the French support fund for Ukraine.

▫️ 60 require to be financed by Ukraine's allies.

— Ministry of the Armed Forces 🇫🇷 (@Armees_Gouv) January 18, 2024

It now remains to convince the allies, particularly Europeans, to pay a large part of the bill for these French cannons.

New Western aid pledges have slowed sharply, falling to their lowest level since the start of the war, the

Kiel Institute calculated in early December.

A European envelope of 50 billion euros planned to consolidate European support for Ukraine is blocked, at least until the next EU summit scheduled for early February.

The new package from the United States is being held back in Congress by the reluctance of Republican elected officials.

European military aid to Ukraine: an “artillery coalition” and French Caesar cannons to support the war effort

European military aid to Ukraine: an “artillery coalition” and French Caesar cannons to support the war effort

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