Envoy: Ukraine gets over half of EU's pledged artillery shells via Czech initiative

Ukraine has received over half of the artillery shells pledged by European nations through a Czech-led initiative that funds purchases from third-party countries with Western support.

The statement was made by Tomáš Kopečný, the Czech government’s special envoy for Ukraine reconstruction, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell announced that by the end of 2024, the EU plans to provide Ukraine with one million artillery shells, primarily 155mm calibre rounds.

"More than half of them [out of one million artillery shells] were sent within the framework of the Czech initiative," Kopechny said.

At the same time, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala recently voiced his support for continuing the program, highlighting that Ukraine’s demand for artillery remains high.

He emphasized that European nations should consider all possible means of assisting Kyiv.

Currently, 18 European countries are involved in the Czech-led procurement plan. In April, Fiala reported that 500,000 shells had been secured for Ukraine through these collaborative efforts.

By Khagan Isayev