Poland to join EU joint ammunition purchase programme

Poland is to join an EU initiative aimed on the joint purchase of ammunition for Ukraine, the government spokesperson said on Tuesday.

On Monday, the European Defence Agency (EDA) reported that 17 EU countries and Norway had agreed on the collaborative procurement of ammunition for Ukraine and to replenish the national stockpiles of member states.

The common procurement is aimed at reducing costs and purchasing in accordance with the needs of the countries belonging to the agreement, the EDA said.

Piotr Mueller explained that an internal procedure concerning joining the initiative was in process but that Poland would join the programme.

"A moment ago I spoke to our ambassador to the EU; at the moment our internal national procedure is ongoing when it comes to consent to the document," he said. "And because we will also benefit from that programme being one of the biggest ammunition producers, of course we will join that procedure."

Mueller said that the ammunition orders would be fulfilled to a large extent in Poland.

"These are arrangements concerning individual companies, so as for production capacity, the companies themselves must comment," he said. "However, we have several facilities, sufficiently big... that were also important in earlier years when it came to creating reserves for the Polish Army."

Mueller said the need for ammunition was one of the key challenges on the Ukrainian frontline, and that Poland hoped its arms factories would play a vital role in fulfilling the EU agreement.