This is reported by Euroactiv.
We are talking about 300,000 shells, the purchase of which has been confirmed, and another 200,000 that were promised. The Czech Republic's goal is to supply 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,” said PM Petr Fiala during the conference.
In his turn, Tomáš Pojar, Czech National Security Advisor and Advisor to the Prime Minister, said that the first batches of ammunition could arrive in Ukraine in June.
“The promised money has to come, and the contracts must be made. At the point when the contract is concluded, it will take several weeks to get it (the ammunition) to Ukraine,” he said.
“From June onwards, supplies could flow,” he added.
Pojar refused to disclose the origin of the ammunition, saying that the initiative is looking for ammunition around the world where it is available at a reasonable price and of reasonable quality.
The coordinators of the initiative expect Russia to try to disrupt the supply of ammunition to Ukraine, so they are trying to keep all other details secret.
On February 17, it became known that the Czech Republic had found sources abroad for hundreds of thousands of artillery rounds that it could deliver to Ukraine in a matter of weeks.
The Netherlands publicly announced their participation by allocating 100 million euros for the purchase of ammunition. France will also join the initiative to procure ammunition for Ukraine outside the EU. Additionally, Germany and Norway have expressed support for the initiative.
On February 22, it became known that Canada was ready to allocate up to $22 million for shells for Ukraine. Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Kroo also announced that the country would finance the Czech initiative with €200 million.
On March 2, the Czech Republic announced that they would be able to make the first deliveries of ammunition to Kyiv within a few weeks.
Later, Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė stated that her country would support the Czech Republic's multilateral initiative to purchase and transfer artillery ammunition to Ukraine.
On March 8, Czech President Petr Pavel announced the completion of fundraising for the purchase of ammunition for Ukraine. The government clarified that it was only the first batch of 300,000 shells.