Czechia may continue ammunition support for Ukraine depending on election outcome
Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Czechia is ready to extend its ammunition supply program to Ukraine through 2026. However, this year's parliamentary elections could bring to power a government opposed to military aid for Kyiv, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský said, according to Bloomberg.
Lipavský said that the country's efforts to procure ammunition worldwide, funded by its allies, have become a turning point on the battlefield.
According to him, Ukrainian forces now fire one shell for every two fired by Russia, compared to a 1-to-10 ratio at the start of the war in February 2022.
The minister added that this year's ammunition deliveries are expected to reach 1.8 million shells, funded by 11 countries. However, plans to continue the program may depend on the outcome of key elections in October.
"We've secured funding for next year. But what is absolutely crucial is to preserve political support for the ammunition initiative after Czech parliamentary elections," Lipavský said.
According to Bloomberg, polls show that billionaire and former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš — who has spoken out against arming Ukraine and accepting Ukrainian refugees — is currently leading. The center-right government led by Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala is trailing significantly.
Czech initiative
Last year, Czech President Petr Pavel announced that the country had identified 800,000 shells that could be purchased for Ukraine, provided that funding came from international partners. Later, it became known that under the so-called Czech initiative, Ukraine received significantly more ammunition.
Recently, it was reported that Czechia, through the same initiative, will be able to deliver the same amount of ammunition to Ukraine in 2025 as it did in 2024 — approximately 1.5 million shells.
