Czechia says more countries want to join ammunition initiative for Ukraine
Czechia has reported that it continues receiving messages from countries willing to participate in the Czech-led initiative to supply ammunition to Ukraine.
Source: Czech Defence Minister Jana Černochová, as reported by European Pravda, citing České noviny news outlet
Quote: "We have other memoranda of understanding on the table. Countries are still contacting us and want to participate in the ammunition initiative."
Details: Czech government officials noted that Ukraine is to receive about 500,000 artillery shells by the end of the year. Černochová said there should be enough donors on a regular basis.
Last week, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala announced that 15 EU countries and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation have contributed more than €1.6 billion to the initiative.
The defence minister hopes that the supplies will prove themselves on the battlefield.
"We will do our best to ensure this is the case. But the ammunition will be in the hands of the Ukrainians, and, of course, it will depend on their tactics and on their military order, which they are choosing. It is in the form of military supplies that we can support them," she said.
Like Fiala or Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský, Černochová advocated hat Ukraine should use the supplied military materiel at its own discretion.
Read more about the Czech-led initiative: "We can find 1.5–2 million shells for Ukraine within a year. I don't understand why there isn't money for this"
"Anyway, there is no violation of international law on the part of Ukraine, which, in accordance with international law, as a country under attack, has the right to defend itself as it sees fit," the minister said.
Černochová further noted that Czechia could train up to 4,000 Ukrainian soldiers this year but would do so on its territory. Last year, the same number of soldiers were trained in Czechia.
Background: The system through which Prague purchases ammunition for Ukraine from non-EU countries has been operating in Czechia since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion.
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