PM Fiala: Major negotiations on ammunition aid to Ukraine were held in Prague

A working dinner is scheduled to begin at 19:00, before which Fiala is expected to make a brief statement. Polish President Andrzej Duda, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Latvian Prime Minister Evica Silinova will attend the meeting, the government office announced over the weekend.Fiala added today that Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmyhal will also arrive. James O’Brien, U.S. Undersecretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, is also scheduled to arrive.

The talks will cover Czech initiatives in the area of ​​ammunition assistance to Ukraine, Ukrainian air defense, and European defense industry cooperation. “We will discuss how to resist Russian aggression in this critical phase that Ukraine is going through, how we can help Ukraine, how the initiatives that exist currently can work, what else we can do in addition to the scope of the Czech or German initiatives to provide Ukraine with air defense equipment. We will discuss all issues related to coordinating and strengthening assistance to Ukraine in these difficult times.” Fiala said at a press conference this morning.

According to him, the main purpose was to exchange information and find a way forward. “This was a working dinner, a meeting of those who have long been involved in activities and initiatives to strengthen and accelerate assistance to Ukraine,” Fiala said at a press conference.

Prime Minister Peter Fiala said peace and security in Europe depended on stopping Russian aggression, which Ukraine has been resisting for more than two years. “But the situation has reached a critical moment. We must intensify our efforts and find new ways to strengthen Ukraine’s defense. That is why we are gathered here today.” He said.

Fifteen countries of the European Union and the North Atlantic Alliance have donated more than 1.6 billion euros (39.5 billion crowns) to the Czech ammunition initiative. Prime Minister Peter Fiala (ODS) said this before a security meeting with European politicians at Villa Kramaž in Prague today. The Prime Minister added that the first batch of tens of thousands of 155 mm ammunition will arrive in Ukraine in June. According to him, the country is expected to receive the first shipment in the coming days.

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz They see support for Ukraine as a priority and say Europe must also focus on strengthening its own security and sovereignty.

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“I think the participation of Prime Minister Shmyhal is extremely important, which is why I also invited him to discuss directly with him what is still needed and what are the obstacles in the way of providing all these things to Ukraine,” But he said a joint statement was not the goal of the meeting.

According to the prime minister, he has been in contact with Frederiksen and Rutte since the beginning. “Denmark and the Netherlands stood with us when launching the Czech ammunition initiative, and this meeting is important precisely because the situation on the Ukrainian front is not simple and requires reinforcements, support, assistance, and ensuring security as quickly as possible. The supply volume, improving coordination in deliveries to Ukraine, these are all issues that need to be addressed immediately,” Fiala added.

“What we announced a few weeks ago is true, which means that the first batch of ammunition under the Czech initiative will arrive in Ukraine in June.” Fiala said. The Czech prime minister proposed buying ammunition for Ukraine outside the EU member states at a special EU summit in early February.

In the afternoon, Fiala also held discussions with Shmeihal himself. “Further military assistance to Ukraine, defense cooperation or developing economic relations – these were the main topics of the meeting between Prime Minister Fiala and the Ukrainian Prime Minister,” The government office described the meeting on the Straka Academy account of the X network. Fiala did not announce a bilateral meeting with Šmihal.

NATO ministers to hold meeting

So far, 20 countries around the world have joined the initiative and are contributing or willing to contribute. The Czech Republic acts as a middleman to understand the needs of the Ukrainian army and connect various countries with military equipment suppliers. The first shipment under the program is due to be delivered to Ukraine in early summer.

The meeting at Villa Kramazh will precede an informal meeting of North Atlantic Alliance foreign ministers in the capital on Thursday and Friday. The main topic will also be the war in Ukraine. This will be in preparation for the alliance summit in Washington in July, but no formal conclusion has yet been reached.