Ukraine, Czech Republic begin bilateral security agreement negotiations

Ukraine and the Czech Republic have begun negotiations on a draft bilateral security agreement, the Presidential Office said on April 18.

In lieu of NATO membership, Kyiv is seeking to sign similar agreements with as many of its Western allies as possible as it fights Russia’s full-scale invasion.

So far, nine have been signed with Latvia, Finland, the U.K., Germany, France, Denmark, Canada, Italy, and the Netherlands.

"The Czech Republic demonstrates continued leadership in supporting Ukraine and encourages other partners to implement bold and important initiatives, including the supply of ammunition to our country," Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Ihor Zhovkva said.

"We also feel the Czech Republic's strong support on the path to Ukraine's future membership in the EU and NATO."

Negotiations with the Czech Republic are being conducted by a Ukrainian delegation headed by the head of the Presidential Office, Andriy Yermak.

The Czech delegation is headed by the director general for Security and Multilateral Issues of the Czech Foreign Ministry, David Konecky.

While the details of the agreement with the Czech Republic have yet to be negotiated, those already signed are 10-year deals pledging billions of euros in military aid and support.

France, for example, committed to deliver more munitions and provide up to 3 billion euros ($3.2 billion) in military aid to Ukraine in 2024.

The Czech Republic has become an increasingly supportive ally of Ukraine, most recently initiating a drive for critically needed artillery shells.

Czech President Petr Pavel announced in February that the Czech Republic had identified 500,000 155 mm shells and 300,000 122 mm shells outside of Europe that could be bought and sent to Ukraine after the necessary funds were allocated.

Since then, a number of countries, including Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Canada, Poland, France, Denmark, and others, have contributed funds to the initiative.

Czech FM: Ukrainians are fighting for all of Europe

″(Ukrainians) really depend on our help and we in turn depend on the fact that the Ukrainians are also fighting for the security of the whole of Europe, so we are in this together,” Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said at the NATO-Ukraine Council meeting.

The Kyiv IndependentAbbey Fenbert