Australia partners with France to supply Ukraine with artillery shells
Australia has partnered with France to supply Ukraine with 155-millimeter artillery shells, Defense Minister Richard Marles and his counterpart Sebastien Lecornu announced.
Key points: The ammunition supplies are part of the support offered by both France and Australia to Ukraine France’s defense minister says the aid will be “significant” and “an effort that will be sustained over time” While the French company Nexter will carry out the manufacturing, Australia will supply gunpowder
“Several thousands of 155mm shells will be jointly produced” by French arms supplier Nexter, France’s Mr Lecornu said, while Mr Marles said the plan would come with a “multi-million-dollar” price tag.
The ammunition stocks fit into “the ongoing level of support both France and Australia are offering Ukraine to make sure Ukraine can stay in this conflict and … see it resolved on its own terms,” Mr Marles added.
Mr Lecornu said the aid would be “significant” and “an effort that will be sustained over time”, with the first deliveries planned for the first quarter of 2023.
Mr Marles said there were “some unique capabilities that exist in Australia and some synergies that could be achieved by Australia and France working together” to produce the shells.
While Nexter will carry out the manufacturing, Australia will supply the gunpowder, Mr Lecornu said.
The two defense ministers met with both countries’ foreign ministers, Catherine Colonna and Penny Wong, as France and Australia try to resume cooperation.
Ties between the countries took a serious hit in 2021 when Canberra abandoned a French submarine contract in favor of US nuclear submarines, as well as joining the AUKUS Pacific alliance with London and Washington.
Mr Marles praised “personal warmth between the four of us”, with all ministers stressing the need to “rebuild” or “reopen” the relationship in various ways.
Various types of artillery sent to Ukraine from its Western allies fire 155 mm shells, including French-made CAESAR truck-mounted guns, the British-built M777 howitzer or the German Panzerhaubitze 2000 self-propelled gun.
France’s ambassador to Australia, Jean-Pierre Thébault, said countries – including Australia – had provided weapons to help the Ukrainian resistance, and that this was the next step to help defend the country against the invasion of Russian forces.
“Ammunition is the key – you can’t use guns if you don’t have ammunition,” he told the ABC.
“What France and Australia are doing together is using the capabilities of our industries to produce thousands of shells – [that] will be used by not only French but [also] Americans, Germans – and other equipment.
“This is something that the Ukrainians so desperately need.”
ABC/AFP
