The war in Ukraine has revealed a fundamental truth of modern conflict: resources are everything. Even as the battlefield shifted into a new era of drone warfare and advanced surveillance, traditional artillery, especially long-range howitzer ammunition, remains indispensable. Russia, despite its stagnant and sanctioned economy and the toll of a prolonged war, continues to produce large quantities of shells. That industrial endurance has been reinforced by munitions shipments from North Korea, courtesy of Kim Jong Un.
The European Union pledged to step up and deliver two million artillery shells to Ukraine, but it has repeatedly fallen short of that goal. Officials cite manufacturing delays and limited production capacity as the primary reasons for the shortfall. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has repeatedly called for an increase in European defense production. However, after three years of war, the E.U. has yet to successfully implement its new defense vision. "Europe is ready to assume its responsibilities," she stated. "We are prepared to increase defense investments," with plans to circumvent the E.U.'s own financial rules that would currently limit such spending.
In the meantime, some countries, unwilling to rely on the E.U. or wait for the new strategy of President Donald Trump's second administration, are acting independently and are supplying weapons from their own stockpiles, providing financial aid to Ukraine, or seeking support from neutral nations.
Czech President Petr Pavel, former Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, unexpectedly came to the E.U.'s rescue. At the Munich Security Conference in 2024, Pavel announced that the Czech government had "found" more than 800,000 artillery shells in countries unwilling or unable to sell military equipment directly to Ukraine. Pavel explained that these countries "would deliver the equipment to Ukraine themselves, but they are prevented from doing so by political reasons they consider insurmountable."
