First Batch Shells from Czech May Arrive in Ukraine Within Weeks

The Czech Republic plans to purchase 800,000 rounds of 155mm ammunition for Ukraine. The first deliveries to Kyiv are expected to take place in a few weeks. Director General for Defence Policy of the Czech Ministry of Defence Jan Jires said this in a commentary to Bloomberg.

According to him, a number of European countries have joined the initiative, and the Czech Republic will act as an intermediary. The official did not name which countries would finance the transfer of ammunition to Ukraine. Jiresh added that this information would probably be disclosed after the delivery.

"The Czech initiative is one of the ways to 'demonstrate that we are actually doing something, not waiting for what happens at the Capitol,'" Jires said.

As a reminder, on 17 February, Czech President Petr Pavel said that Prague had found hundreds of thousands of artillery rounds abroad that it could deliver to Ukraine.

He made the announcement at the Munich Security Conference last month. According to him, the Czech Republic has discovered 500,000 rounds of 155mm ammunition and 300,000 rounds of 122mm ammunition, which could be delivered within weeks if money is available.

The Czech Republic is pushing European Union countries to fund 450,000 artillery shells outside the EU. The arms companies of South Korea, Turkey, and South Africa are considering it. The reason is that Europe did not have time to send Kyiv 1 million shells by March.

European leaders discussed the Czech Republic's proposal to buy ammunition from countries outside the region at a meeting in Paris on Monday. The Netherlands agreed to contribute 100 million euros ($109 million) to the plan. The government in Prague said it had also secured preliminary commitments from Canada and Denmark, as well as other countries that did not wish to be identified.