EU approves Czech purchase of ammunition for Ukraine using proceeds from frozen Russian assets – Ministry of Defense
Part of the funds generated from frozen Russian assets in
the EU will be used to purchase and supply ammunition to Ukraine as part of a
Czech initiative, Czech Defense Minister Jana Černochová announced on Aug. 20.
According to Černochová, the European Union made this
decision, and the Czech government will handle the purchase of hundreds of
thousands of large-caliber munitions needed by Ukraine.
“This is a unique opportunity to support Ukraine, utilize
resources that originally belonged to Russia, and save the public finances of
European countries,” Černochová said.
However, the Czech defense chief did not specify the exact
amount of ammunition that will be procured for Ukraine through this method.
The Czech Initiative to Purchase Ammunition for Ukraine
The possibility of acquiring 800,000 shells for Ukraine was
first mentioned by Czech President Petr Pavel on Feb. 17, 2024. He stated that
he had found 500,000 rounds of 155mm caliber ammunition and 300,000 rounds of
122mm caliber. Pavel did not name the countries willing to sell the shells.
Several European nations joined his initiative.
A representative of Ukraine’s security sector told NV that
the ammunition is planned to be purchased from South Korea and South Africa.
The contract is estimated to be worth around $2 billion.
On March 11, the tabloid Bild reported that the CzechRepublic had purchased 800,000 shells from third countries. According to the
publication, the Czech Republic could have acquired the ammunition from South
Korea, South Africa, and Turkey.
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala stated that Ukraine could
receive 1.5 million artillery shells within a year.
On July 22, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský announced
that Western allies would send an additional 100,000 rounds of ammunition to
Ukraine in July and August as part of the Czech initiative.
On July 24, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said that the
Czech Republic would supply Ukraine with approximately 500,000 large-caliber
rounds by the end of 2024 as part of its initiative.
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