IFU to provide Ukraine with 152 mm shells worth $376 million

Illustrative purposes only:: An artillery division of the 59th Brigade receives ammunition on the frontline near Donetsk on December 23, 2022, in Donetsk, Ukraine. The division is firing 152 mm rounds with a Soviet-made Howitzer D20 cannon supplied by the United States of America. (Pierre Crom/Getty Images)

Ukraine will receive a 152 mm shell supply worth 350 million euros (around $376 million) from the International Fund For Ukraine (IFU), Ukraine's Defense Ministry reported on June 13.

The International Fund for Ukraine is a funding mechanism administrated by the U.K. Defense Ministry and also includes Australia, Denmark, Iceland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and New Zealand.

The nine member states have contributed more than a billion euros (around $1 billion) to the fund so far.

"We are grateful to our partners for their staunch support. This decision is an important contribution to strengthening Ukraine's defense capabilities," Ukraine's Defense Ministry wrote on X.

The Dutch Defense Ministry announced it will contribute to the IFU's initiative, but it has not revealed the number of shells to be delivered due to security concerns.

The Dutch ministry yet said this supply will be one of the IFU's "largest orders" from the international arms industry.

"In previous ammunition deliveries, Ukraine so far received mostly 155 mm shells for howitzers donated by the West. However, the country also has many 152 mm guns. With the new delivery, these weapons can also be better exploited," the statement read.

The 155 mm caliber is typical for NATO weaponry, while 152 mm shells are commonly used by Soviet-era arms.

Under the outgoing prime minister, Mark Rutte, the Netherlands has been a staunch ally of Ukraine and one of the few partners to pledge F-16 fighter jets.

The Netherlands plans to deliver its first F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine already this summer, shortly after Denmark, Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren said on June 12.

In the previous month, Dutch Foreign Minister Hanke Bruins Slot said the country would not object to Ukraine using Dutch-supplied F-16 fighter jets to strike targetsinside Russia as a means of self-defense.

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