France will soon deliver 78 howitzers to Ukraine to meet Kyiv’s urgent needs, defense minister says

By SYLVIE CORBET
Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — France’s defense minister says it will soon be able to deliver 78 Caesar howitzers to Ukraine and will boost its supply of artillery shells to meet Kyiv’s urgent needs for ammunition to fight Russia’s two-year invasion. Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu said Tuesday that an agreement was reached among France, Ukraine and Denmark to finance the Caesar self-propelled 155 mm howitzers, which will enable France to “quickly deliver” them. France has also set a goal to deliver 80,000 shells for 155 mm guns to Ukraine this year — up from 30,000 delivered since the beginning of the war in February 2022. France is participating in an effort to identify available stocks of powder and ammunition that could be bought from countries outside the European Union.