In February, the Czech Republic organised a massive purchase from outside the EU for kyiv's troops.
Poland will honour its promise to help finance a Czech initiative to buy ammunition for Ukraine from outside the EU, Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski told the European Truth news outlet.
The Polish diplomat was responding to reports that Warsaw was the only country among those supporting kyiv that had not yet contributed to the plan, despite having promised to do so earlier this year. According to Polish newspaper Wyborcza, as of August this year, more than a dozen countries had provided funds to buy more than half a million artillery shells, sourced from manufacturers outside the European Union, with Germany providing the bulk.
Sikorski acknowledged that Warsaw has not yet made any payments for the plan, citing temporary obstacles.
“We have made the political decision to allocate 50 million euros this year and another 50 million next year, but there are some technical, administrative and legal issues related to the state agency for strategic reserves,” The Foreign Minister said:
He noted that the Foreign Ministry has already done its part and now expects that “Colleagues from other ministries will also do their best,” pledge: “It will surely be done.”
The Czech initiative to procure shells for kyiv from around the world was announced in February, to fill a gap that arose when Western manufacturers failed to supply artillery ammunition quickly enough to meet kyiv's demands on the battlefield. Ukraine's backers have reportedly only been able to collectively produce 1.3 million shells in a year, while Russia has been able to manufacture 4.5 million at a quarter of the cost of their European and American equivalents.
In total, 18 countries, including Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands and Portugal, have pledged to cover the costs of the Prague plan. In July, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said 15 countries had made contributions and that there were enough funds to deliver 500,000 shells to Ukraine by the end of the year. Czech officials have also suggested extending the plan until 2025.
Moscow has repeatedly criticised the West's continued military support for kyiv, arguing that shipments of arms and ammunition to the country only serve to prolong the fighting and cause more bloodshed, without affecting the final outcome.
