By Csongor Körömi

Copyright politico

The Czech government, under the leadership of Prime Minster Petr Fiala, has defended the ammunition initiative.

“Any halt to the initiative would be a real gift to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin. Those who talk about it are gambling with Europe’s security,” Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský warned last month in a meeting with Czech ambassadors.

Prague began the ammunition effort in 2024 in response to U.S. delays in sending shells to Ukraine. The shortfall was starving Kyiv’s forces of crucial weapons at a time when Russia was being aided by its ally North Korea and was gaining an edge on the battlefield.

Czech President Petr Pavel has said that before the initiative, Russia had a tenfold advantage in artillery ammunition, but that has since been whittled down to 2-to-1 in Moscow’s favor.

The initiative collects Western donations of ammunition and also buys shells on the global market, and sends the combined total to Kyiv. This eases the burden on other countries, and organizers have said the growing number of donations is proof of its success.

Last year the Czech Republic coordinated the delivery of 1.5 million rounds of large-caliber ammunition with financial contributions from 14 countries. This year it aims to deliver 1.8 million rounds, said Aleš Vytečka, head of the Intergovernmental Defense Cooperation Agency.