Part of the funds received from frozen Russian assets in the EU will be directed to the supply of ammunition for Ukraine at the initiative of the Czech Republic.
Points of attention
- The Czech Republic uses funds from frozen Russian assets to purchase ammunition for Ukraine in order to support the country.
- The European Union supported the initiative of the Czech Republic regarding the transfer of ammunition to Ukraine.
- Problems with the supply of shells arise due to rising prices and low financial support from some coalition members.
- Ammunition prices have quadrupled since 2022, complicating the projectile supply initiative.
The Czech Republic will buy ammunition for Ukraine at the expense of frozen Russian rockets
As stated by the Minister of Defense of the Czech Republic, Jana Chernokhova, this step is another confirmation of the trust of foreign partners in the Czech project.
Part of the income from the frozen Russian assets in the EU will go to the supply of ammunition to Ukraine, which will be purchased by the Czech Republic. This decision was taken by the European Union. This will allow us to purchase hundreds of thousands of necessary large-caliber ammunition for Ukraine, Chernokhova emphasized.
Část příjmů ze zmrazeného ruského majetku v EU půjde na dodávky munice pro Ukrajinu, kterou pořídí Česká republika. Rozhodla o tom Evropská unie. Můžeme tak pro Ukrajinu nakoupit další stovky tisíc kusů tolik potřebné velkorážové munice. Je to další důkaz důvěry spojenců v Českou…
— Jana Černochová (@jana_cernochova) August 20, 2024
Yana Chernokhova also added that this initiative is a unique opportunity to support Ukraine by using resources that previously belonged to Russia, and at the same time to preserve public funds of European countries.
However, the minister has not specified the exact amount of ammunition that will be transferred to Ukraine under this project.
What is the cause of problems with the purchase and transfer of ammunition to Ukraine
In the material of the NZZ publication, it was emphasized that the first batch of ammunition within the framework of the Czech initiative in the amount of 45 thousand arrived in Ukraine only in June.
According to the head of the Czech Foreign Ministry, Jan Lipavsky, Ukraine will receive more than a third less than the initially promised amount of ammunition if the partners do not allocate more funds for the purchase.
Czech government officials emphasized that not all members of the coalition for the purchase and transfer of artillery shells to Ukraine contributed funds, which is one of the reasons for the reduction in supplies.
However, a more important reason is the increase in ammunition prices due to increased demand on world markets. Former Deputy Minister of Defense Tomasz Kopechny, one of the initiators of the initiative to supply ammunition to the Czech Republic, explained that the promised 800,000 shells now cost twice as much as the originally estimated 1.5 billion. Prices on the international market have increased fourfold since 2022, — the authors of the material explain.
