Ukraine can compensate for artillery ammunition gap with cluster munitions - military expert

Espreso TV channel reported on this.

"Ammunition is a complicated issue because it determines the intensity of the fighting both now and in the future. The Ukrainian side hopes for help from the EU countries, which promised a million, but we see that they do not have time to do so for a number of reasons, namely: free deployment of production, higher prices for ammunition, unwillingness to move to a military footing and to receive US assistance so quickly. There is also a process of increasing the production of artillery ammunition," the analyst noted.

Zgurets noted that, as a result, Ukraine is currently ensuring the intensity of hostilities with cluster munitions.

"We have received a certain amount from the United States, and the U.S. Army still has a stockpile of these munitions, about 3 million, they are not used, and they are not the kind of munitions that Israel would be interested in. So I think that we will fulfill this certain gap in the deployment of European capabilities at least in the first quarter of next year and will compensate for it by supplying cluster munitions that are in the arsenals of the US army," he said.

The analyst added that the situation with the production of ammunition is more alarming, as the United States will reach the production of 100,000 rounds per month by the end of 2025, while it currently produces 25,000 rounds per month, while Ukraine loses about 200,000 per month.

"So, basically, the situation is not easy now, but we can compensate for this gap with cluster munitions. The story with Europeans is more complicated, because they are actually deploying the industry very slowly. In any case, the rollout of the industry is an extremely important component. I hope that in addition to relying on the Europeans and Americans, Ukraine will also deploy its own enterprises," Zgurets emphasized.

• On October 26, it was reported that earlier this year, the EU had developed a plan to transfer ammunition to Ukraine within 12 months - first from existing stocks, and then through joint procurement contracts and increased industrial capacity. However, over half of the deadline has passed, and Ukraine has received only 30% of what was promised.