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Czech Republic's purchase of shells for Ukraine is under threat: FT explains why

Katya PopliuikoPolitics
Czech Republic's purchase of missiles for Ukraine is under threat

The Czech Republic's purchase of shells for Ukraine has been threatened by the opposition party headed by Andrej Babiš. The populist ANO party, which is the leader in public polls ahead of the October vote, has promised to suspend the munitions initiative if it returns to power.

This was reported by the Financial Times. "We must stop the current path," said ANO deputy leader Karel Havlicek.

It is known that Czech President Petr Pavel, a former NATO commander, announced last year that his government was coordinating the purchase of artillery shells on international markets to provide Ukraine with ammunition and fight the Russian invasion.

Havlicek, in turn, expressed doubts about the information provided by the military sector about the quality and price of the shells. According to him, their "quality is not perfect and that it is just extremely expensive."

Despite reports that a small portion of the shells were of poor quality and unusable, Kyiv was generally satisfied with the supply. Last month, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha expressed his gratitude to Prague for delivering "up to 80%" of the 2024 promised missiles.

Czech Deputy Foreign Minister Eduard Hulíčius said that as part of this initiative, Kyiv received 520,000 155 mm ammunition last year, and another 300,000 rounds are planned for next year. Initially, Prague intended to send all 800,000 shells in 2024 but faced difficulties in raising funds and purchasing the required amount due to fierce competition on international markets, particularly from Russia.

The Prague-based Czechoslovakian Group, the largest supplier of ammunition in Central Europe, said it had fulfilled "almost all of its obligations," explaining delays in transportation to Ukraine by limited logistical capacity. At the same time, defense industry representatives emphasized that this initiative is a temporary measure caused by a shortage of ammunition in the European defense sector.

The Czech liberal government has warned that Andrej Babiš could change course on Ukraine and strengthen relations with pro-Kremlin leaders such as Viktor Orban in Hungary, Robert Fico in Slovakia, and the likely future Austrian Chancellor Herbert Kikl.

Initially, Babiš's ANO party was part of the European Liberals, but last year it joined Orban's far-right group in the European Parliament. At the same time, ANO representative Karel Havlicek noted that further discussions may become irrelevant if Donald Trump, if he wins the US election, achieves a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia.

"They should start peace talks. The more we drag out the conflict, the more the situation for Ukraine will get worse and worse... When we are in the government, it will be the end of the war, and if we are not, it will be very bad for Ukraine," Havlicek said.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, on February 1, it became known that this year the Czech government will organize a new purchase of ammunition for Ukraine. The country is now exploring possible ways to finance this initiative. According to Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky, there is still enough ammunition in the world that could be purchased. And if many European countries join, a lot can be achieved for Ukraine.

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