Bloomberg reports that Ukraine’s allies have nearly allocated all the necessary funding for the Czech Republic’s initiative to purchase 800,000 artillery shells, consisting of 500,000 rounds of NATO-standard caliber 155mm shells and 300,000 rounds of 122mm ones. Once fully funded, the shells could be delivered to Ukraine within weeks, depending on contractual obligations and delivery schedules.
EU defense and foreign ministers are expected to discuss the initiative’s details this week.
“There is positive progress regarding the Czech initiative,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a joint press conference with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Odesa on March 6. “But we can assess positive results when the shells are in Ukraine.”
Ukraine requires at least 200,000 rounds per month to sustain its fight against Russian forces, which use three to five times more shells daily than Ukrainian forces can fire, according to Bloomberg estimates.
At the Munich Security Conference in February, Czech President Petr Pavel revealed that the Czech Republic had located the shells in an unnamed non-EU country. The process requires $1.5 billion in funding.
The Czech Ministry of Defense is coordinating efforts and has secured preliminary commitments from Canada, Denmark, and other undisclosed countries. The Netherlands and Belgium have publicly confirmed their participation, providing 250 million euros and 200 million euros, respectively. France, Germany, and Latvia have also expressed support for the initiative.
Read more:
- Macron backs Czech plan to supply Ukraine with 800,000 artillery shells
- Lithuania joins Czech-led initiative to supply shells to Ukraine
- Bloomberg: Ukraine may receive first shells through Czech-led artillery initiative “within weeks”
- Netherlands contributes €250 million to Czech artillery initiative for Ukraine
