Czechia to Send First 180,000 Artillery Shells for Ukraine

The Czech Republic has already contracted 180,000 artillery shells to send to Ukraine under the Czech-led artillery initiative, as noted by Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala in a Financial Times op-ed on April 15.

"These will be delivered to the Ukrainian front in the coming months," Fiala said, adding that such results wouldn’t have been possible without the initial support of Denmark and the Netherlands, and about 20 other countries, which joined the initiative promising to help.

Minister Fiala added that Czechia is preparing contracts for another 300,000 artillery shells. 

According to the Minister, Czechia has already provided Ukraine with more than 1 million large caliber ammunition. Czechia is trying to create a reliable ammunition supply mechanism that will aid the situation on the frontline.

Prime Minister Petr Fiala also highlighted the severe conditions in Ukraine: "The situation in Ukraine is critical. As the war enters its third year, the country’s armed forces are under unprecedented pressure. They are running out of ammunition, meaning they are forced to make difficult decisions every day. This makes it extremely hard to hold their lines — the very lines that will decide the security and future of the whole of Europe.”