Czech initiative: Poland says transportation of shells for Ukraine is being organized

Wnp.pl writes about it.

"The fact that it (the initiative - ed.) has already received firm promises of support, backed by cash, and that the transport is already being organised means that we feel the burden of responsibility for helping Ukraine fight the Russian invasion," Sikorski said.

However, the diplomat did not answer the question about the size of the Polish contribution to the initiative, noting that "this is a military secret".

At the same time, he called the Czech initiative useful, as it made it possible to find ammunition for Ukraine even from non-European countries.

The minister noted that the Silesian Voivodeship could also join the production of ammunition, in particular 155mm artillery shells. According to him, there are such industrial capabilities and people who are capable of doing this.

"I understand that there are places, infrastructure, people and resources for this production, and I hope that the Ministry of Industry, in cooperation with the Minister of State Assets, the Minister of National Defence and local authorities, will take up this task. This is very important and very urgent," the diplomat concluded.

Czech initiative to purchase ammunition for Ukraine: what is known

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.

On March 12, the Czech Republic announced the possibility of purchasing another 200,000 artillery shells for Ukraine in addition to the 300,000 already financed.

The Czech government said that artillery shells, which will be purchased at the initiative of Prague, are likely to start arriving in Ukraine in June.