Norway donated 140 million euros on Thursday, and with that the Czech Republic has secured enough funds to buy 800 000 artillery shells for ammunition-starved Ukraine, Czech President Petr Pavel told reporters on Thursday, the 7th of March, reports Politico.
A total of 18 countries, including Canada, Denmark, Germany, France, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada and Norway, have contributed millions to the Czech-led initiative.
Delivery now depends on how quickly the Czech Ministry of Defence can secure the procurement documents, but the ammunition should arrive in Ukraine in the coming weeks, the Czech President said.
The Ukrainian army urgently needs ammunition as it recently had to withdraw from the strategically important town of Avdiivka in the Donetsk region due to a shortage of artillery shells. European officials estimate that Russia is firing up to ten times more ammunition on the front lines than Ukraine.
At the Munich Security Conference in February, Pavel announced that the Czechs had found a way to buy 500 000 155 mm and 300 000 122 mm artillery shells for Ukraine from non-EU producers.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, at a press conference in Odessa, welcomed progress in an initiative but emphasized that a positive outcome hinges on the actual presence of projectiles in Ukraine. Acknowledging partners with long-range weapons, he stressed the importance of avoiding a “courage deficit.”
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Czechs raise funds for 800 000 artillery shells for Ukraine
