Providing weapons to Ukraine is West's duty - Duda
Andrzej Duda, President of Poland (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Polish President Andrzej Duda is convinced that providing arms to Ukraine, which is repelling Russia's large-scale military aggression, is a duty of the Western countries, citing Polskie Radio.
During his visit to the Czech capital, Prague, the Polish leader also expressed the view that artillery shells are crucial on the frontlines in Ukraine.
Duda spoke about Russia's aggression and emphasized that the West must do everything to help Ukraine defend itself. He said that if Moscow succeeds in defeating Kyiv, it would pose a strategic threat to the entire Atlantic region.
In this context, Duda said that the Czech initiative to supply ammunition to Ukraine's defense forces is of great importance. He highlighted that this is currently one of the main proposals for strengthening Ukraine's defense capabilities in a very short period of time.
"The Czech initiative has full political and financial support from the Polish side," Duda stressed.
He also confirmed Poland's readiness to efficiently transport weapons to the Ukrainian army.
On his Twitter (X), Duda wrote that the Polish side "gladly welcomes" the Czech proposal to deliver 800,000 artillery shells to Ukraine.
Photo: screenshot twitter.com/prezydentpl
Supply of shells to Ukraine
Earlier this year, Czech President Petr Pavel announced that his country had located approximately 800,000 rounds of ammunition outside the European Union and that Prague had begun raising funds for their purchase, calling on other nations to join the initiative.
Recently, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala confirmed that the first batch of these munitions is expected to be delivered to Ukraine in June. He also mentioned that the first tens of thousands of 155-millimeter shells could be expected by Ukraine "in the coming days."
Additionally, on May 28 in Prague, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal met with Czech, Latvian, Danish, and Dutch counterparts, as well as Polish President Duda. The parties discussed the supply of air defense systems and artillery shells to Ukraine.
