More funding is needed to get the Czech initiative to purchase ammunition for Ukraine, which was launched in February and has so far been joined by both EU and non-EU countries off the ground, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský (Pirates, Greens/EFA) said on Wednesday.
In February, Czechia proposed to buy ammunition for Ukraine from third countries in response to the EU’s lack of ammunition production capacity.
“We need more money. We need more money for ammunition. We need more ammunition for Ukraine,” Lipavský said ahead of Wednesday’s meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels.
He also added that Russia is still capable of producing far more ammunition than Ukraine’s allies.
“We want Ukraine to be able to defend itself against Russian aggression. That is what our initiative is designed to help do. That is why I am calling on everyone to join and pledge money,” the Czech diplomatic chief urged.
So far, 18 countries, including some outside the EU, such as Germany, Poland, Canada, Sweden, and Norway, have joined the initiative. Meanwhile, Slovakia and Hungary have said they will not.
Germany recently announced a significant contribution of €576 million to purchase 180,000 pieces of artillery ammunition for Ukraine, while Belgium and Finland, pledged €200 million and €30 million, respectively.
However, while plenty of ammunition is available on the market, Czech authorities point out that funding sources are limited. Czechia, for its part, has pledged to fund the purchase of approximately 500,000 pieces of ammunition, the Czech Defence Ministry told news website Seznam Zprávy.
Czech President Petr Pavel has previously stated that the country has identified more than 800,000 pieces of available ammunition. The Czech authorities aim to link countries that are willing to invest with previously identified ammunition suppliers in third countries while keeping the countries from which the ammunition will be purchased confidential.
Ammunition purchased under the Czech initiative could reach Ukraine in June, according to the Czech government.
For months, the Ukrainian authorities have been requesting ammunition supplies, as Russia vastly outnumbers Ukraine on the battlefield.
(Aneta Zachová | Euractiv.cz)
