Ukraine's demands for shells surpasses NATO production capacity: Chief
A meeting of NATO member states' ministers of defense is scheduled for February 14-15.
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NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg speaks during a media conference ahead of a meeting of NATO defense ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Monday, Feb. 13, 2023 (AP Photo/Olivier Matthys)
According to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Ukraine's ammunition consumption rate now surpasses NATO nations' capabilities to provide it, and the waiting period for large-caliber ammunition has more than quadrupled increasing from 12 to 28 months.
"The current rate of Ukraine’s ammunition expenditure is many times higher than our current rate of production," Stoltenberg said at a conference prior to the NATO summit.
"Orders placed today would only be delivered two-and-a-half years later," Stoltenberg added.
The NATO summit will be held in Brussels on February 14-15, with NATO defense ministers expected to address the bloc's defense and the bolstering of undersea infrastructure security, as well as additional and expanded support for Ukraine.
After the war in Ukraine began in February 2022, Moscow addressed a message to NATO member states denouncing their military aid to Kiev, stating that arming Ukraine was not helpful to peace negotiations and would exacerbate the war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attended an EU parliament meeting and a regular EU summit of the heads of state as a last-minute guest on Thursday.
Read more: Zelensky's fighter jets on the table, but not now
His trip to Brussels came following a European short tour to the UK and France on Wednesday, where he was lobbying for more weapons and garnering support for his request from the 27-bloc member states to supply his country with lighter jets and long-range missiles.
In an address to the MEPs, Zelensky said that "we are defending against the most anti-European force of the modern world -- we are defending ourselves, we Ukrainians on the battlefield, along with you," as he urged for more advanced systems.
Read more: Newsweek: Zelensky growing more desperate for fighter jets
Zelensky's tour of European countries sought to show an "urgency" in the need for aerial support, as the Ukrainians expect a push by Russian forces.
On Thursday, the President of the EU parliament Roberta Metsola also called on the EU bloc to consider sending long-range missiles and fighter jets to Ukraine.
