On 22 July, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský announced in Brussels that 100,000 artillery shells will be delivered to Ukraine during July and August through a Czech-led initiative. The initiative, which involves 18 countries, aims to deliver a total of 500,000 shells to Ukraine by the end of the year.
According to ČTK, Lipavský stated that 15 of the 18 countries have already fulfilled their promises and contributed funds to the initiative. He added that there are sufficient funds to deliver 500,000 shells by year-end, but they are now seeking additional funding to continue the initiative into 2025.
“We could deliver up to 800,000 shells this year if we had the money,” Lipavský told journalists.
He emphasized that the Czechs are in daily contact with Ukrainian partners, who greatly appreciate the initiative.
The Czech ammunition initiative sources artillery ammunition from countries outside the European Union. Recently, the first shipment of approximately 50,000 shells arrived in Ukraine. The Czech Republic collaborates primarily with the Netherlands and Denmark on this initiative.
Lipavský noted that some information regarding the initiative is highly sensitive, particularly concerning the countries from which the ammunition is purchased.
“It is a well-known fact that Russia is trying to undermine our initiative, trying to overpay us, which is why we do not want to say where we get our ammunition from,” he explained.
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- Ukraine, Czech Republic sign weapons production agreements in Prague
- Czech Republic to supply up to 100,000 shells monthly to Ukraine, says President Pavel
- Czech Defense Ministry: Ukraine to receive first batch of ammunition under Czech initiative by end of June
- ISW: Western shells still arrive in limited amounts in Ukraine
