France and Australia will jointly produce several thousand 155mm shells to send to Ukraine, the Australian and French Defence Ministers Richard Marles and Sébastien Lecornu announced on Monday.
A meeting was held in Paris on Monday between Australian and French Foreign Ministers Penny Wong and Catherine Colonna and their respective defence ministers.
The latter announced that France and Australia will join forces to produce 155mm shells to be delivered to Ukraine, to reaffirm their respective support for the country, the victim of an “illegal and immoral” invasion by Russia.
At the press conference following the meeting, the French Minister of the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, recalled that some people “do not care about fuel, spare parts and ammunition” even though they represent “the first demand of the Ukrainian army.”
This cooperation shows, according to the French Minister of the Armed Forces, “the ability to engage in a more resilient and enduring assistance to Ukraine.”
Lecornu described the agreement as an “unprecedented partnership” between the two countries and their defence industries – including the French group Nexter. Australia will be able to supply the powders needed to produce these shells, the French minister said.
(Davide Basso | EURACTIV.fr)
Source: euractiv.com
