France, Australia Will Send Artillery Shells to Support Ukraine's Forces Against Russia

France and Australia announced a joint production and delivery of several thousand 155-millimeter artillery shells to Ukraine, which will commence in the following weeks, according to a report by AP on Monday, Jan. 30.

France-Australia Collaboration

The multi-million dollar initiative comes at the heels of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's requests from its Western allies for more arms supply to its forces as it finds itself in nearly a year of conflict with Russia.

The announcement was made by Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles and French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu. This collaboration may indicate that the two nations have moved past a dispute over submarines.

This is because the Australian government decided to forego a $66 billion deal for a fleet of conventionally-powered submarines from France in exchange for nuclear submarines from a secret deal with the US and the UK.

But now, both countries are once again collaborating to help Ukraine in its war against Russia.

They have not provided additional details for the collaboration due to national security reasons.

Sébastien Lecornu, minister of the armed forces of France, said that they may begin sending the first set of shells in the first quarter of 2023. He adds that they intend to provide a consistent supply of shells to Ukraine as the war rages on.

Fast-Track Discussions

The recent announcement coincides with the fast-track discussions between Ukraine and its Western allies about supplying Kyiv's forces with long-range missiles and other weapons.

It also follows the US's decision to send its M1 Abrams tanks even though there were earlier reservations about conducting this plan since the tanks may be too difficult for Ukraine to manage. But the Biden administration ultimately decided to send 31 of these military vehicles.

This in turn encouraged German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to send 14 of its Leopard 2 tanks. His decision also allowed other Western allies to send their own tanks despite his earlier reservations that a unilateral move could provoke Russia.

NATO's secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg also visited South Korea on Sunday, Jan. 29, and urged the country to send direct military support to Ukraine.

South Korea has been indirectly supporting Ukraine by providing arms to NATO members such as Poland. However, the country has a policy that prohibits it from sending weapons to nations engaged in active combat.

An American official also told AP that the US has made deals with South Korea for around 100,00 artillery rounds to be sent to Ukraine. But South Korean officials maintained that these weapons were intended for the US military only.

NATO and some of the Western allies have been supporting Ukraine since Russia's invasion in February 2022 by sending several weapons to boost its military forces.