Czechia Becomes One of Ukraine's Top Three Ammunition Suppliers
The Czech Republic, along with the United States and the United Kingdom, has become one of the leading suppliers of ammunition to Ukraine, as reported by the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic following a meeting of representatives of the country's defence industry.
According to the data, in 2024, the Czech Republic transferred about 1.5 million pieces of artillery ammunition to Ukraine, including half a million 155 mm shells. Most of the supplies were made under the Czech Initiative.
‘This puts us, the Czech Republic, among the main suppliers of ammunition to Ukraine, along with the United States and the United Kingdom,’ said Defence Minister Jana Černohova.
She noted that, according to current estimates, in 2023, exports of military equipment to Ukraine increased by at least a third, which was a record high.
The Minister of Defence and Prime Minister Petr Fiala met with representatives of the Czech defence industry to discuss assistance to Ukraine, army modernisation and state support for the defence sector. The event was held on the occasion of the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
According to Fiala, Czech arms manufacturers play an important role in providing assistance to Ukraine. ‘Over the three years that the war has been going on, I can say that Ukraine has become almost the second domestic market for companies that produce weapons and military equipment,’ he said.
The Prime Minister added that active support from the Czech Republic and its defence industry demonstrates the effectiveness of logistics, organisational and management processes on both sides.
In recent months, Ukraine has received tens of thousands of large-calibre ammunition units. This year, the Czech Republic will continue to supply both at its own expense and with financial support from Canada, the Netherlands and Denmark.
According to Chernokhova, contributions from international partners have already amounted to ‘hundreds of millions of euros’.
Early last year, the Czech prime minister and president proposed to their EU counterparts an initiative under which the Czech Republic would use its own channels to search for ammunition for Ukraine outside the EU, and the latter would pay for the purchases.
As The Gaze previously reported, in the summer of 2024, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Petr Fiala signed an agreement on security cooperation and long-term support between Ukraine and the Czech Republic.