First Shipment of Czech Procured Ammunition Set to Arrive in Ukraine in June

During a meeting in Prague on May 28, leaders from five European NATO states reaffirmed their support for Ukraine. The main focus of the meeting was a plan by the Czech Republic to procure and deliver up to 800,000 artillery shells to Ukraine from non-EU countries.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala announced that Ukraine should anticipate the initial shipment of tens of thousands of 155-millimeter shells within the coming days.

Fiala hosted a working dinner attended by Polish President Andrzej Duda, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, and Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina. He mentioned that they would also hold discussions with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

Through the Czech initiative, both government representatives and private entities within the Czech Republic have collaborated to procure ammunition from various global sources. Approximately 1.6 billion euros ($1.7 billion) in funding for the project has been pledged by fifteen EU and NATO member states.

The leaders issued a joint statement after the meeting that they “expect to ensure the donation of half a million rounds of artillery ammunition before the end of the year.”

It has been added that the initiative will continue for as long as needed.

According to Der Spiegel, Berlin is also trying to find ammunition for the Ukrainian Armed Forces alongside Prague.

Earlier in May it was announced, that German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall has plans to launch a new venture in Ukraine, focusing on the production of air defense systems.