This year, as part of this initiative, Ukraine is to receive 1.8 million artillery shells, Pavel specified. “I am convinced that the artillery initiative and the ability to provide Ukraine with sufficient ammunition is one of the conditions that can force Russia to understand that continuing this war does not make sense,” said Pavel during a joint press conference with the President of Ukraine Wołodylym.
Pavel also noted that the suspension of weapons “for one, two, three days”, announced unilaterally by Russian President Vladimir Putin, does not make sense. “Nobody can even start negotiations [w ciągu kilku dni]. We are talking about a 30-day unconditional suspension of weapons-this is what Ukraine presented this proposal “-emphasized the Czech president.
He also pointed out that Russia continued to fire Ukraine during the Easter truce in April. “If we are talking about the end of the war, then all the cards are still in the hands of President Putin. All he has to do is make a decision, but he has not shown such a desire so far,” Pavel summed up.
The Czech Republic proposed to establish ammunition supplies to Ukraine in February 2024 during a security conference in Munich. 18 countries supported the idea. As part of this initiative, the Czech Republic plays the role of an intermediary in shopping for ready states to allocate funds for this purpose.
Last year, 520,000 went to Kiev. 155 mm caliber shells, although originally the Czech Republic planned to provide 800 thousand. pieces. The Czech Holding Company Czechoslovak Group, which is the largest supplier of ammunition in Central Europe, stated that she had fulfilled “almost all its obligations”. As the main reason for delays in the shipping of ammunition to Ukraine, “limited logistics possibilities” were given.
