Ammunition bought under Czech initiative could reach Ukraine in June

Ammunition bought in non-EU countries under the Czech initiative could reach Ukrainian battlefields as early as June, Tomas Pojar, the Czech national security adviser and the prime minister’s advisor, said on Tuesday.

In February, the Czech Republic proposed to buy ammunition for Ukraine from third countries in response to the EU’s lack of ammunition production capacity. Since then, it has received support from several European countries willing to finance the purchases.

“The purpose of our initiative is to source ammunition on world markets, arrange financing and coordinate delivery to Ukraine,” Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on Tuesday (12 March) at the conference ‘Our Security Cannot Be Taken for Granted,’ organised to mark the 25th anniversary of Czech NATO membership.

So far, over 15 countries have pledged funding for the ammunition. These include Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, France and Norway, as well as non-European allies such as Canada. While the Czech Republic identifies available ammunition worldwide, other countries provide the necessary funding. The Czech Republic will then coordinate delivery to Ukrainian battlefields.

According to Fiala, the purchase of 300,000 rounds has been confirmed and a further 200,000 have been pledged. The aim is to deliver the ammunition to Ukraine this year.

“I do not want to promise the impossible because even in an ideal situation, it will take months to successfully get the material to the frontline, where it is most needed,” Fiala said during the conference.

Tomáš Pojar, the Czech national security adviser and the prime minister’s advisor, revealed the details in an interview.

“The promised money has to come, and the contracts must be made,” Pojar said. “At the point when the contract is concluded, it will take several weeks to get it (the ammunition) to Ukraine.”

“From June onwards, supplies could flow,” he added.

Pojar refused to reveal the origin of the ammunition, saying that the initiative was looking for ammunition worldwide “wherever it is available at a reasonable price and of reasonable quality.”

Coordinators of the initiative expect Russia to try to disrupt the ammunition deliveries to Ukraine, so they try to keep all other details classified.

(Aneta Zachová | Euractiv.cz)