Czech Republic to continue ammunition initiative for Ukraine - Czech DM

The minister said this at his first press conference at the Ministry of Defense, presenting his priorities for the next four years, according to a Ukrinform correspondent.

“We have clearly stated that our support for Ukraine will continue. We stand with Ukraine. Ukraine is defending itself, Russia is the aggressor,” Zuna said.

He does not question the ammunition initiative, but is critical of how it was carried out.

“A meeting with experts will be prepared for the prime minister to discuss how to continue this initiative. In principle, no one questions the ammunition initiative, and I do not, but it is about the process of managing it and how to continue,” Zuna said.

He also announced plans for his first foreign visits, saying he wants to visit neighboring Slovakia shortly after Prime Minister Andrej Babiš's visit there on January 8, “and then we will plan a visit to Ukraine.”

The priorities for the Czech Republic are to strengthen the role of the Czech defense industry, particularly in view of its export potential, to strengthen its own air defense, and to fulfill its obligations to NATO. In order to achieve results, the new leadership is ready to “rethink the priorities of both defense and the army,” as the current concept of building the Czech army is based on the 2019 strategy, which is already somewhat outdated. The new concept is planned to be updated in the first half of 2026.

Zuna noted that it will take into account the experience of the war in Ukraine. In particular, it is planned to increase the number of personnel “to at least 30,000.” Currently, the Czech army has approximately 24,000 military personnel. At the same time, the Ministry of Defense plans to reduce its staff by 5% and optimize its structure.

Former Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala announced that the “Czech initiative” had achieved its goal and that 1.8 million units of large-caliber ammunition had been sent to Ukraine in 2025.

As reported by Ukrinform, the day before, Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal held talks with Zuna, who is also Deputy Prime Minister, on the development of security cooperation. The parties focused on ways to develop defense cooperation to strengthen the security of Ukraine and the Czech Republic. In particular, the head of the Ministry of Defense noted the importance of the “Czech initiative” on the supply of ammunition.

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