Czech-led ammunition initiative to continue; Germany commits $346 million
REUTERS/Stringer
Czechia will continue coordinating its long-standing program
to procure artillery ammunition for Ukraine, Czech Defense Minister Jaromír
Zuna said on June 9 after meeting with his German counterpart, Boris Pistorius.
"We are ready to continue the ammunition initiative," Zuna said.
Pistorius said Germany will contribute EUR300 million ($346 million) to the Czech-led effort, which he said will allow the purchase of about 50,000 artillery rounds for Ukraine, according to Czech news agency České Noviny.
Pistorius called the Czech initiative an important mechanism for supporting Ukraine and thanked Czechia for continuing the project. Zuna called Germany a strategic partner in defense and security and noted its key role in European security.
The Czech Defense Ministry says contracts to supply roughly 1 million rounds to Kyiv have already been signed for this year. Last year, about 1.96 million large-caliber rounds were delivered to Ukraine under the initiative.
The plan to buy 800,000 rounds for Ukraine was first
announced by Czech President Petr Pavel on Feb. 17, 2024. He said then that he
had located 500,000 rounds of 155mm ammunition and 300,000 rounds of 122mm
ammunition. Several European countries joined the effort.
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