BRUSSELS, 19 MAR - An armored Eastern front, with 300,000 troops ready to intervene in case of need: NATO is planning, for the next few months, a clear strengthening of its hottest border, the one exposed to Russia.
Within the Atlantic Alliance they do not see any negotiations between Moscow and Kiev on the horizon and the clash between the Russian jet and the American drone a few days ago in the Black Sea showed once again how crucial the military management of the area that extends from Romania to the Baltic countries.
At the same time, the Alliance has to deal with a problem that is emerging above all among the European member countries: the shortage of weapons and equipment.
The war in Ukraine has disrupted the pace of production of the Old Continent's defense industry.
An internal report in the sector and jumped on the British media has found that, in Europe, there is such a shortage of explosives, gunpowder and TNT that there is a risk of a three-year delay in the expected increase in the production of grenades.
All while the EU is preparing, with difficulty, to finalize the text for sending ammunition to Ukraine.
A new meeting of the 27 ambassadors (Coreper) took place this afternoon to find a balance on the three-part text proposed by Josep Borrell.
The plan first provides for the sending of ammunition to the stocks of the member countries and then, as early as May, the development of joint purchases of projectiles, with the help of the European Defense Agency.
For both actions there are two billion made available by the European Peace Facility.
The third part, more long-term, envisages the strengthening of the European defense industry.
At the Coreper meeting, Swedish presidency sources explained, "a solution was found on the basis of the political agreement" on which the Foreign Affairs Council is called to approve on Monday.
But the games are not over.
The technical work continues and before the EWC a new Coreper could be convened.
France's reservations have not yet been overcome: Paris wants to promote weapons 'made in Europe', even in the phase of joint purchases.
The theme, however, is that European industry will hardly be able to cope with this increased demand.
Planning a war economy - a concept dear to Emmanuel Macron - takes time.
Ukraine, however, needs ammunition now.
The way out, at least in the coming months, can only be to turn to third countries, starting with Norway and the USA.
The issue of arms production was already raised at the end of February by NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg.
The Alliance has asked its members to raise the level of arms production also in view of the project to strengthen the Eastern front, where NATO wants more troops - above all in the Baltic countries, Poland and Norway - deployed for a "response ready".
The issue will certainly be on the table at the NATO summit in Vilnius in July.
But it will also be central in the European context in the coming months.
Also because the member countries, to increase the production of weapons, are asking for funding.
And the European Peace Facility, drained of military aid to Ukraine, is not enough.
