War in Ukraine: precious help from Seoul in the race for shells to arm kyiv
Faced with the shortage of artillery shells in Ukraine, part of the European Union is ready to join a Czech initiative to purchase ammunition produced outside Europe from pooled funds and reship them to kyiv .
With this in mind, help from South Korea, one of the largest producers of shells in the world, could prove decisive in arming Ukraine.
Ukrainian soldiers prepare their weapons during a military exercise near the front line in the Donetsk region, February 23, 2024. © ANATOLII STEPANOV / AFP
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The European Union had committed to
delivering
one million shells to Kiev by March 2024, but only 30% of them have been delivered, laments Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Because due to a lack of powder, European industry is struggling to fulfill orders.
It is therefore necessary to look for shells elsewhere, and the Europeans
are knocking on all doors
: India is likely to have significant stocks of shells, as is Egypt.
But one of the biggest producers in the world remains South Korea, which has already largely supplied the Ukrainian artillery with shells, points out Vincent Touret, of the University of Montreal.
“
If the Ukrainian counter-offensive was able to be launched, it is because South Korea agreed, through the Americans, to give them 500,000
shells.
Especially since there is a game of billiards, because South Korea has every interest in the Ukrainian conflict being lost by Russia, because for the moment Russia is feeding its northern neighbor, North Korea, by buying ammunition from him.
So, South Korea has every interest in seeing the Pyongyang-Kremlin axis defeated
,” he analyzes at
Franck Alexandre
’s microphone .
Seoul
already largely arms the Polish army, and is therefore on the verge, with the Ukrainian conflict, of becoming an important player in the European balance, thanks to its plethora of arms stocks and an industry long-tailored for the war of High intensity.
“
A very strong message sent to Russia
”
This European proposal to buy ammunition produced outside Europe was initiated by the Czech Republic.
Monday February 26, during
a meeting in support of Ukraine
held in Paris between 25 international allies of Kiev, several countries, including France, actually said they were in favor of this idea.
The initiative “
enjoys great support from several countries
,” declared Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala after the meeting.
“
This is a very strong message sent to Russia
,” said the leader, assuring that around fifteen countries were ready to join this initiative.
French President Emmanuel Macron, for his part, considered that this Czech proposal was “
consistent
” with the past policy of the European Union and announced that Paris would join it.
“
We have (...) asked non-member states of the European Union to come up with solutions (...) and therefore we will participate in this initiative
,” declared the head of state during a conference press, adding: “
The only objective is efficiency
”.
For the moment, the list of these potential shell-supplying states has not been disclosed.
Also read: Emmanuel Macron says that sending Western troops to Ukraine in the future cannot “be ruled out”
(
And with
AFP)
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