Germany pledges 300 million euros to Czech ammunition initiative for Ukraine
on Google
Germany will contribute an additional 300 million euros ($346 million) to the Czech-led initiative supplying artillery ammunition to Ukraine, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced on June 9 during talks with his Czech counterpart in Berlin.
"Germany will contribute an additional 300 million euros to this initiative – that's approximately 50,000 rounds of long-range ammunition," Pistorius said.
The German minister described the Czech initiative as essential to supplying Ukraine with urgently needed ammunition and pledged Berlin's continued support for the effort.
The announcement came as Pistorius hosted Czech Defense Minister Jaromir Zuna at the Bendlerblock, the headquarters of Germany's Defense Ministry, for his inaugural visit to Berlin.
Support for Ukraine was a central topic of the ministers' discussions, which also covered bilateral defense cooperation, the situation in the Middle East, and preparations for NATO's 2026 summit in Ankara.
Launched in early 2024 amid severe ammunition shortages facing Ukrainian forces, the Czech-led initiative has become a key source of artillery ammunition for Kyiv and is widely credited with helping stabilize supplies during a critical phase of the war.
According to the Czech Defense Ministry, more than 3 million artillery shells have been delivered under the initiative to date, including 1.5 million rounds in 2024 and another 1.8 million in 2025. Czechia has contracts in place to supply roughly 1 million additional rounds in 2026.
The announcement comes at a critical time, as the initiative faces declining international participation. Czech President Petr Pavel said last month that the number of participating countries has fallen from 18 to nine since Prime Minister Andrej Babis took office in December 2025.
