Czechia to continue supporting Ukraine – top diplomat

Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky assured of this his Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha during talks in Prague on May 5, the Czech MFA reported, Ukrinform saw.

“Czech support to Ukraine will continue,” Lipavsky vowed.

He assured Minister Sybiha that the Czech Republic’s participation in the ammunition initiative is maintained, and that funding has been secured until September.

In 2024, the Czech Republic ensured the supply of about 1.5 million large-caliber ammunition rounds to Ukraine, thus becoming one of the main suppliers along with the United States and the United Kingdom, Lipavsky noted.

The ministers had an exchange on the ongoing efforts in the peace process, in particular about the status of Ukraine’s negotiations with the U.S. and the activities of the Coalition of the Willing.

“Russia refuses the ceasefire and continues to bomb Ukraine. We must maintain the pressure of sanctions, work within the coalition of the willing and continue to support Czech munitions and the reconstruction of Ukraine,” the Czech diplomatic chief pointed out. 

Czech assistance to Ukraine also continues through programmes funded under the Instrument for Ukraine or the Intergovernmental Agreement on Technical and Financial Cooperation with Ukraine. The European Commission approved the application for funding for Czech programmes under the Ukraine Facility in March this year. The programmes are the "Ukraine Recovery Guarantee", aimed at the restoration of critical infrastructure with a volume of CZK 4.6 billion, and the "Renovation and Modernisation of Hospitals" with a volume of CZK 3.5 billion.

Minister Sybiha highly appreciated Czechia’s constant defense support for Ukraine and pointed to the effective Czech-Ukrainian cooperation focused on ammunition and drones. Over the past year, several specific projects in the defense industry have been implemented in Ukraine, including the joint production of ammunition, and small-caliber ammo, and the assembly of rifles. However, cooperation also works in the opposite direction as one of the Ukrainian companies is transferring the development and production of drones to the Czech Republic, which will contribute to the development of the Czech economy.

As reported, Minister Sybiha is part of the delegation accompanying President Volodymyr Zelensky to Prague.