Czechia prepares new initiative for ammunition for Ukraine in 2025
Photo: Czechia is preparing a new initiative for Ukraine (Getty Images)
The Czech Ministry of Defense is preparing to launch a new initiative to supply Ukraine with artillery ammunition next year. This time, Czech manufacturers will participate in the initiative, stated the head of the Czech Ministry of Defense, Jana Černohová.
The project, with the working title "Initiative-2025", will initially involve five Czech arms companies that will produce shells for Ukraine. Funds from European donors will be used for this purpose.
The project will include:
- Czechoslovak Group
- STV Group
- Omnipol from Ompo Holding
- Colt CZ Group SE, owned by Česká zbrojovka
- Arms company DSS
"This is a natural extension of the mechanism that is already working. Moreover, the sooner donors allocate the funds, the quicker our companies can sign long-term contracts," explained Černochová.
The Czech Ministry of Defense’s Intergovernmental Defense Cooperation Agency is currently gathering information on what these companies can supply to Ukraine next year.
Prague will act as an intermediary between the donors - European countries and these companies. The Czech government’s special envoy for Ukraine's reconstruction, Tomáš Kopečný, stated that the donors will primarily be European states, including Denmark, the Netherlands, and Germany.
He noted that negotiations on financial support could begin as early as the end of summer.
Czech initiative to supply ammunition to Ukraine
At the beginning of the year, Czech President Petr Pavel said that Prague had found hundreds of thousands of shells for Ukraine, but the project needed funding.
Portugal, Finland, Germany, and Lithuania have joined the initiative. In total, the current Czech initiative to supply Ukraine with ammunition covers 15 countries. Within its framework, Czechia is looking for artillery ammunition for Ukraine in the European Union and beyond.
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said that Czechia would supply Ukraine with approximately 500,000 rounds of ammunition by the end of 2024 as part of its initiative.
At the same time, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský recently said that Ukraine would receive another 100,000 rounds of ammunition in July and August as part of the Czech initiative.
