France to supply 78 Caesar self-propelled howitzers and 80,000 rounds of ammunition to Ukraine

French Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu has announced that Paris will soon be able to supply Kyiv with 78 Caesar self-propelled howitzers and will increase supplies of shells to meet Ukraine's urgent ammunition needs.
At a press conference, Lecornu said that France, Ukraine and Denmark had reached an agreement to finance the delivery of Caesar 155mm self-propelled howitzers, which would allow Paris to "deliver them quickly".
He added that France also aimed to supply Ukraine with 80,000 rounds of ammunition for 155mm guns this year, compared to the 30,000 it has provided since the start of the full-scale invasion.
In addition, Lecornu noted that France was involved in the search for existing stocks of gunpowder and ammunition that could be purchased from countries outside the EU as part of Czechia's initiative.
Under the plan, the Czechs seek to obtain 800,000 artillery shells for Ukraine. Czech leaders previously said the first shells should be delivered to Ukraine no later than June. At least 18 countries have joined the initiative, according to officials in Prague.
At the same time, Lecornu said that European countries should reduce their dependence on the United States to ensure security on the continent.
"This is an absolute necessity. I think it's wrong that American taxpayers should pay so much for the security of Europeans," he said.