Czech initiative: 400K rounds sealed for Ukraine since year-start

This was announced by Czech Defense Minister Jana Černohová, who spoke on Czech television, Ukrinform reports.

"By the end of April, we will have transferred 400,000 large-caliber ammunition rounds to Ukraine," she noted.

According to the minister, funds for further purchases have been secured until the fall. At the same time, she made no predictions about whether it will be possible to exceed last year's numbers.

"We will send as many (rounds - ed.) as we can find around the world," she said, noting that there is an opportunity to purchase about 1.5 million rounds but it all depends on whether the funding is secured.

Černohová rejected the assumption that the initiative threatens peace in Ukraine and went on to deny reports that the U.S. is allegedly opposing it. According to the minister, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth praised the project, calling on the participants of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group to support it.

 “We must try to provide Ukraine with the best conditions for negotiations… And it will help Ukraine the most if it is strong and has enough military materiel to defend itself once it reaches peace negotiations,” Černohová emphasized.

At the same time, she praised the outcome of Volodymyr Zelensky’s meeting with Donald Trump in the Vatican. After that conversation, in her opinion, the U.S. president finally saw what European leaders had long been telling him: Vladimir Putin is the aggressor.

As reported, last year the Czech Republic, with the support of allies, launched an initiative to purchase ammunition for the Armed Forces of Ukraine in third countries. As part of the project, approximately 1.5 million rounds of various calibers were transferred to Ukraine last year.

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