New Czech FM clarifies change in Ukraine ammunition initiative during Kyiv visit

The new Czech Foreign Minister, Petr Macinka, who is on his first official visit to Kyiv, explained what prompted the new Czech government to change its stance on the functioning of the ammunition initiative for Ukraine.

He made the remarks during a press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in response to a question from European Pravda.

Recently, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, after a meeting of the “Coalition of Willing” in Paris, stated that the ammunition initiative for Ukraine could continue if it is funded by other countries.

Macinka was asked what led to the decision not to cancel the ammunition initiative. In response, the minister noted that the initiative “was preceded by a whole range of questions and speculations.”

“Therefore, we first wanted to examine, study, and analyse the matter, while also exploring whether it could be done slightly differently but still achieve the same result,” he explained.

Macinka emphasised that it was also important to discuss the matter with coalition partners.

“Since there were elections, not everyone had the same position, but it is important that they reached a certain consensus and that this initiative will continue,” the Czech Foreign Minister concluded.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, commenting on the ammunition initiative, stressed that the Russia-Ukraine war is not only about Ukraine but also about overall European security.

“Therefore, we welcome the continuation of the Czech initiative under modalities acceptable to the Czech government. Modal interaction should be mutually beneficial for both sides. This is the right approach,” Sybiha said.

By Jeyhun Aghazada