Czech Republic pledges $2 billion to buy half a million artillery shells for Kiev; considers supplying gas to Ukraine

At a recent meeting in Houston with representatives of US energy companies, Czech President Petr Pavel said that as part of an ammunition supply initiative, Prague will send Ukraine 500,000 artillery shells by the end of this year.

Ukrainian servicemen from the 110th Separate Mechanized Brigade Marko Bezruchko load ammunition into a multiple rocket launcher as they prepare to fire at Russian troops near the front line in Donetsk, July 2024. (Source: Reuters)

According to President Pavel, 50,000 shells are expected to arrive in Ukraine in July and August, after which the delivery rate will increase to 80,000-100,000 shells per month, starting in September. Prague's goal is to deliver 500,000 shells to Kiev by the end of this year.

Earlier, Czech Defense Minister Jana Cernochova confirmed that the first batch of artillery shells under the country's initiative had arrived in Ukraine at the end of June. This initiative was first announced by Mr. Pavel on February 17 about the possibility of purchasing 800,000 artillery shells for Ukraine.

Prague pledged 500,000 155mm shells and 300,000 122mm shells, although it did not disclose the source of the supplies. Several other European countries have joined the initiative.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala announced in April that Kiev would receive 1.5 million artillery shells from the initiative within a year.

According to a representative of the Ukrainian military, the above plan is said to require spending about 2 billion USD to buy artillery shells from South Africa and South Korea.

Meanwhile, German media reported on March 11 that Türkiye could also supply ammunition to Ukraine "in the coming weeks".

In another development, on July 13, the Ukrainian Ministry of Economy said that at the 10th meeting of the Ukrainian-Czech Joint Commission on Economy, Industry and Science and Technology, the two sides adopted a number of decisions, including in the energy sector.

According to the ministry, Prague affirmed its readiness to support Kiev's efforts to restore energy facilities that were damaged or destroyed by Russian attacks.

In particular, the two sides discussed the possibility of providing Ukraine with spare parts for the rapid restoration of energy facilities, and expressed interest in jointly developing renewable energy in Ukraine.

In addition, Prague and Kiev also agreed to establish a permanent working group to restore critical infrastructure damaged during the conflict with Russia. The Czech Republic noted the possibility of expanding the use of the NET4GAS transport system to supply natural gas to Ukraine.

In addition to the meeting of the Joint Commission, the two sides also held a Ukrainian-Czech business forum, bringing together more than 50 Czech and 20 Ukrainian businesses in the fields of energy, engineering, agriculture and other sectors.

Prague has previously delivered dozens of generators to Kiev.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/czech-cam-ket-chi-2-ty-usd-mua-nua-trieu-qua-dan-phao-cho-kiev-xem-xet-cap-khi-dot-toi-ukraine-278625.html