EU may increase ammunition production no earlier than late 2025

The European defence companies will be able to greatly increase the production of ammunition, including weapons for supplying to Ukraine, no earlier than late 2025 or early 2026.

The defence companies face regulatory problems, supply chain disruptions and labour shortages, and do not receive sufficient state funding, TASS reports citing The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

According to the EU defence industry sources and officials, it will take about two years to increase ammunition production at an existing plant, and about five years to build a new plant.

Up to 50 per cent of all EU defence products were exported to third countries until mid-2023, rather than to Ukraine.

The authorities then publicly called on European defence companies to supply shells as a priority to Kyiv.

The UK, which is no longer an EU member, intends to increase its defence production capacity by eight times by the beginning of 2025 compared to the period before the Russian special operation in 2022.

Russia, despite tough economic sanctions, will begin to produce almost three times more large-caliber ammunition this year than the US and Europe.