As part of their own initiative to purchase artillery ammunition for Ukraine, the Czech Republic and Germany will allocate additional tens of millions of euros for this.
What is known about the purchase by the Czech Republic and Germany of artillery ammunition for Ukraine
According to Petr Fiala, the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, his country plans to allocate tens of millions of euros to purchase hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition for Ukraine.
He noted that the Czech Republic's contribution will amount to hundreds of millions of crowns or tens of millions of euros.
This roughly corresponds to the share that should be invested by a country of our size and prosperity, emphasised the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic.
About 18 countries have joined the Czech initiative to purchase artillery shells for the Armed Forces.
Germany plans to make the most significant contribution, 576 million euros, to purchase 180,000 artillery shells.
The Czech Republic, through a team of government representatives and private companies' help, was looking for at least 800,000 large-calibre artillery shells for Ukraine. The first deliveries to Ukraine are expected by June.
At the same time, in the event of an increase in funding, the volume of projectile purchases will be increased.
Meanwhile, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky called the lack of a strategy for Russia a big mistake of the EU and NATO countries.
There is no general debate about our strategy towards Russia either in NATO or in the EU. I consider this a mistake. I think we should have that debate. During such a discussion, it is necessary to discuss how the war in Ukraine should end, Lipavsky emphasised.
He listed the principles of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationallyrecognisedd borders, the Budapest Memorandum of 1991. He noted that if "there is no such real strategy", the existing principles should be followed.
Separately, the minister singled out the principle that the state and the people of Ukraine should have the right to vote when deciding on a future peace with Russia.
The biggest mistake that we, the West or the leading powers, could make would be to impose or dictate any decision to Ukraine without inviting it to participate in this process. They will feel betrayed, and this will not lead to a strong and just peace and security in Europe, emphasised Lipavsky.
In his opinion, the frozen conflict will not bring peace to Europe.
I am not happy when I hear about the freezing of the conflict, because the conflict in Ukraine has been frozen since 2014, and the current war is just a continuation of the frozen conflict that began in 2014. So, in my opinion, this will not bring a fair and lasting peace on the European continent, Lipavsky emphasised.
He added that the unleashed criminal war against Ukraine is a consequence of Russian imperialism.
The real problem is the idea that the leader of the Kremlin, be it Putin or someone else, can go, grab a piece of territory by brute force and declare: "This is mine," the head of the Czech Foreign Ministry said.
He recalled the actions of the Kremlin in Crimea, Georgia, and Transnistria and pointed out that Russian propaganda has already targeted the Baltic states, Poland, and even the Czech Republic.
Therefore, we need to secure Europe, the EU, the Czech Republic, and a simple desire to freeze security will not bring. But I do not rule out any scenarios, of course, many things can happen, emphasised Lipavsky.
What is known about Germany's aid to Ukraine within the framework of the NATO fund
The head of the German Defense Ministry, Boris Pistorius, supported the initiative of NATO's chief, Jens Stoltenberg, to create a NATO fund for military aid to Ukraine.
At the same time, he noted the importance of avoiding duplication of duties.
In particular, it is necessary to consider the national contributions that have already been made to Ukraine.
