Spain, Belgium, and Poland have begun delivering 20-mm ammunition
Spain, Belgium, and Poland have already begun supplying Ukraine with 20-mm ammunition. This ammunition is needed, in particular, for the F-16 fighter jets that Ukraine is using against Russian jet drones.
Spain, Belgium, and Poland have begun the process of supplying Ukraine with 20-mm ammunition. According to Andriy Sibiga, this issue has become particularly important due to the emergence of Russian jet drones. “Yesterday, we (along with Defense Minister Yevhen Khmara—ed.) spent the entire day working on the 20-mm caliber issue. And we succeeded. I believe we have secured a solution for this caliber for a significant period of time,” Sibiga said.
The minister explained that 20-mm ammunition is needed to combat a new type of Russian drone. According to him, it is difficult to constantly use expensive air defense systems to destroy drones. Therefore, F-16 fighter jets are playing an increasingly important role in this area. “It was critically important to help our military shoot down these drones. Currently, aside from air defense systems—which are too expensive to use constantly against drones—F-16 fighter jets are the most effective. That is why we are now deploying them on a large scale. And this is a matter of this caliber, because the use of the appropriate weapons and all related ammunition has proven to be very effective,” the foreign minister explained.
Sybiga separately thanked Spain, Belgium, and Poland for their assistance. According to him, these countries have already begun transferring ammunition, so the shells Ukraine needs should arrive “very soon.” At the same time, Ukraine is exploring the possibility of purchasing such ammunition directly from private manufacturers. Kyiv is also working on securing a large shipment of this ammunition.
Sibiga expressed hope that Ukraine will be able to obtain several million rounds of 20-mm ammunition in the near future. “In addition to everything else, we are currently asking our partners to order jet-powered interceptor drones. Our private manufacturers are ready to scale up production provided that funds are received on time. We are currently working on this. One option is to order their products directly from them. I am quite optimistic about this,” the minister added.
Thus, Ukraine is working on two fronts simultaneously: seeking additional 20-mm ammunition for the F-16 and developing its own capabilities to intercept jet-powered drones. It was previously reported that Kyiv is also negotiating with European countries and manufacturers regarding the purchase of tens of thousands of such shells. The foreign minister mentioned this during a conversation with journalists.
Ukraine is preparing new sanctions against Russian oligarchs following the EU’s decision to remove Mikhail Fridman and Alisher Usmanov from its list. Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga stated that Kyiv has already compiled a list of more than 20 Russian businessmen.
