Greek media assume the United States is in talks with Athens on a procurement deal, with Americans planning to buy artillery rounds from the Hellenic Armed Forces' stocks, so that the ammunition can go to the Ukrainian Army.
The Greek government is expecting USD 47,000 for a total of 75,000 artillery shells in various calibers, of both NATO and Soviet standards, eKathimerini reports.
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The shells come in the following variety and proportions:
- 50,000 rounds of 105mm caliber;
- 20,000 rounds of 155mm caliber;
- 5,000 rounds of 203mm caliber.
The timeframe of contract finalization and delivery of shells to Ukraine are not specified. The newspaper underlines that the deal would be beneficial for Greece.
On a note from Defense Express, even though the number of ammunition in question is not too impressive, it is still a good boost for the Ukrainian forces, especially considering the scarcity of 203mm shells — Ukraine is the only European country that is still using this unique caliber fired by giant 2S7 Pion self-propelled howitzers.
This alternative source of supplies could be a good enough patch on the wound which is the pending decision regarding further security assistance to Ukraine in the U.S. and Europe struggling with its plan on producing a million shells by March 2024.
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