Kyiv to receive 400,000 more shells from Czech initiative, Ukraine's PM says
Editor's note: This article has been updated to reflect additional comments from Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.
Ukraine will receive 400,000 additional artillery shells in 2025 through the Czech-led munitions initiative, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced on May 20 on Telegram.
The initiative, supported by contributions from Canada, Norway, the Netherlands, Denmark, and other nations, has significantly enhanced Ukraine's artillery capabilities. Launched in 2024, it has become a vital supplement to the country's firepower amid shell shortages.
Following a meeting with Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, Shmyhal said Ukraine received around 1.5 million artillery shells of various calibers through the initiative in 2024.
He announced that Czechia has increased its annual aid allocation to Ukraine to over $43 million. Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, Prague has provided $900 million in military assistance to Kyiv.
Fiala and Shmyhal also discussed expanding cooperation on weapons production, economic support, and humanitarian assistance.
"We will strengthen the integration of the Ukrainian and Czech defense industries," Shmyhal wrote. "In addition, we agreed to cooperate in training Ukrainian pilots of F-16 airplanes."
Czechia has played a leading role within the EU in rallying military support for Ukraine and has hosted hundreds of thousands of refugees since the start of the war.
The country's opposition party, ANO, has threatened to suspend the munitions initiative if it wins parliamentary elections in October 2025.
ANO deputy leader Karel Havlicek made the remarks in January, raising concerns about the future of one of Ukraine's most reliable arms pipelines.
In a separate initiative, the European Union has pledged to supply 2 million artillery rounds for Ukraine. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said in a post on social media on May 20 that EU countries "have already committed two-thirds of 2 million artillery shells, and we are working to cover the remaining third as soon as possible."
Francis Farrell
