NATO leadership is inclined to believe that the Czech Republic will still continue the initiative to supply large-caliber ammunition to Ukraine, despite recent alarming statements by Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis on this matter.
Points of attention
- The future of the 'Gun Initiative' remains uncertain as conflicting views persist within the Czech government, with a final decision yet to be made.
- The statements from NATO and Czech officials highlight the complexities surrounding the issue of military aid to Ukraine, underscoring the importance of international collaboration in supporting Ukraine's security.
The “Gun Initiative” will continue to work
The newly elected Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, Andrej Babis, has made it clear that he plans to reduce military aid to Ukraine from the state budget.
In addition, he predicts that his government may terminate the program of supplying ammunition to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which was implemented under the supervision of official Prague.
Against this background, Babis began to lie that the program was opaque and too expensive.
However, Czech President Peter Pavel advocates its continuation, so the country's authorities have not yet made a final decision.
The Deputy Commander of the NATO Security and Training Mission for Ukraine (NSATU), Major General Mike Keller, made a statement on this occasion at the mission headquarters in Wiesbaden:
I don't have final confirmation (as to whether) the initiative will be continued, but there are some positive signals coming from Prague.
Keller suggested that the Czech Republic will no longer fund this initiative, as it has done to a limited extent in the past, but other allies of Ukraine are determined to continue working in this direction.
