In June, the Armed Forces of Ukraine will receive the first batch of ammunition as part of the Czech initiative to supply ammunition to Ukraine, President Petr Pavel told ARD.
In February, Czech President Petr Pavel mentioned that Prague could potentially supply Ukraine with 500,000 155 mm and 300,000 122 mm shells from outside Europe, contingent on securing the necessary funding, prompting financial pledges from many EU countries. However, under the Russia-friendly leadership of Prime Minister Robert Fico, the Slovak government has ceased military aid to Ukraine and opposed the Czech initiative, pushing instead for peace talks with Russia.
“Together with our Prime Minister Petr Fiala, I assume that the first 180 thousand units of ammunition will be delivered in June, and there are already contracts for a seven—to six-figure number of shells,” said Pavel.
One of the reasons for the delay, according to him, was competition, which arose because many countries knew about the Czech Republic’s urgent efforts to search for ammunition. Ukraine’s partners had to openly discuss this initiative to involve as many countries as possible in these efforts, explained Pavel, but in doing so, they also “revealed their cards” — and Russia took advantage of this.
The President of the Czech Republic acknowledged that Russia is much stronger than Ukraine, and despite Western support, the moment is approaching when the human resources of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and support among the Ukrainian population will increasingly limit Ukraine’s efforts.
“In this situation — and I have been talking about this for a long time — it is important to support Ukraine in every possible way so it can make it clear to the Russian aggressor that it is pointless to continue the war, that Russia will not achieve any further military successes. Because as long as Russia has any hope of success, it has no grounds for peace talks,” claimed the president.
Earlier, Czech media outlet ČTK reported that Slovakia raised four million euros to purchase 2,692 artillery rounds for Ukraine from the Czech manufacturer STV Group. In April 2024, several Slovak NGOs initiated the crowdfunding campaign “Ammunition for Ukraine” under the motto “If not the government, we send.”
Slovaks raise €4 mn for Ukrainian ammo procurement in Czechia
The campaign aimed to raise 1 million euros to purchase munitions to support Ukraine’s war effort, directly challenging their government’s refusal to provide military aid to Kyiv, but raised four.
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