Czechia to continue coordinating ammunition initiative for Ukraine

Czechia will not cancel its ammunition initiative for Ukraine and will continue to coordinate the project, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said after talks among leaders of the so-called 'coalition of the willing' in Paris on Tuesday.

Babiš said the decision was taken in agreement with coalition partners and stressed that the initiative will continue only if it is financed by other countries, with no money coming from Czech taxpayers.

The initiative was first proposed by former Czech prime minister Petr Fiala in 2023, with the first deliveries reaching Ukraine in the summer of 2024. Under the scheme, Czechia helps arrange supplies of large-calibre ammunition for Ukraine, drawing on the expertise of Czech companies.