ATHENS

Poland will ramp up its production of ammunition to support Ukraine’s war effort as part of a European Union program to provide Kyiv with artillery shells, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced Monday.

“The most urgent need of Ukrainian forces is ammunition. We at the EU Council thus decided to create this scheme, which will be financed by the union,” Morawiecki said during a visit to a facility in the southeastern province of Podkarpackie, where ammunition for Ukraine will be produced.

He said the Cabinet will announce a special long-term plan to boost ammunition production in Poland, which will contribute to both meeting the country’s own and Ukraine’s needs.

It is no secret that the current capacity in Europe is insufficient, said Morawiecki.

He stressed that both private and state enterprises will be involved in the plan.

Last week, the EU reached a deal to send Ukraine one million rounds of ammunition within the next 12 months. EU countries will donate ammunition from their own stockpiles to Ukraine and also jointly purchase new shells for the country.