Czechia's initiative to provide Ukraine with artillery ammunition has secured funding to continue monthly deliveries until September 2025, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said on April 3, Ukrainian publication European Pravda reported.
The initiative, backed by contributions from Canada, Norway, the Netherlands, Denmark, and other European countries, has significantly boosted Ukraine's artillery capabilities, Lipavsky claimed.
The minister said the effort had reduced the effectiveness of Russian artillery "by 500%" and improved the shell ratio from 1-to-10 in Russia's favor to 1-to-2.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claim.
In 2024, the Czech initiative supplied Ukraine with 1.5 million rounds of ammunition, including 500,000 large-caliber 155mm and 152mm shells. The initiative was launched amid Ukrainian shell shortages, largely caused by delays in U.S. military aid in 2024.
Czechia's opposition party ANO has vowed to suspend the initiative if it wins the parliamentary elections in October 2025, opposition leader Karel Havlicek said in January.
"We're not going to continue the munitions initiative. Not at all," he told the Czech media Respekt.
Prague has been a strong supporter of Ukraine, supplying military aid, leading EU efforts to secure weapons, and hosting tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees.
Czech President Petr Pavel said on March 22 that the country was also ready to contribute troops to a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine.
Kateryna Hodunova
(Updated: )
