As the Russia-Ukraine war prolongs, defense officials from countries around the world supporting Ukraine have agreed on measures to expand weapons production and other forms of assistance.
On the 29th (local time), the U.S. Department of Defense announced that heads of logistics from 45 countries belonging to the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) held a meeting the previous day at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, chaired by William LaPlante, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense.
Established in April, the UDCG is a regular consultative body that discusses ways to support Ukraine through monthly meetings, with participation from NATO member countries as well as South Korea, Japan, and New Zealand.
This was the first time that weapons procurement officials from various countries gathered in one place.
At the closed-door meeting, the focus was on expanding ammunition production needed for howitzers and rocket launchers used by the Ukrainian military.
The U.S. Department of Defense stated, "Discussions centered on increasing the production of essential items for Ukraine to maintain long-term defense capabilities," adding, "The U.S. explained plans to expand production of ground long-range firepower, air defense systems, and air-to-ground military logistics supplies."
About 20 countries shared similar plans, expressing intentions to strengthen their domestic industrial bases to support Ukraine.
At the early stages of the war, concerns were repeatedly raised that the Ukrainian military was at a disadvantage due to shortages of ammunition and artillery compared to Russian forces.
In June, it was reported that while the Ukrainian military used 5,000 to 6,000 shells per day, the Russian military was firing about 60,000 shells daily, highlighting the stark contrast.
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