Czech President Urges Arms Ammunition Assistance To Ukraine To Continue

Czech President Petr Pavel / PHOTO via Instagram @prezident_pavel

Czech President Petr Pavel stressed Czech initiatives to deliver ammunition to Ukraine must continue.

This insistence was conveyed by Petr Pavel after last weekend's election was won by a party that stated that it wanted to end the program.

ANO, the populist opposition party former billionaire Prime Minister Andrej Babis, emerged as the winner of Saturday's parliamentary election, earning 80 out of 200 seats in the lower house.

The party is currently holding talks with parties to secure the majority.

Prior to the election, Babis said it would end the Czech ammunition program, calling it too expensive and not transparent. He said the European Union and NATO should handle it.

"If we reduce or even end this support, we will primarily harm ourselves, but ending this support will also have a negative impact on Ukraine if more people lose their lives," Pavel said on Monday, October 6.

The ammunition program, which brings together traders and defense officials from around the world to find millions of artillery shells for Kyiv with financing from Western countries, is a major support program for Ukraine under Prime Minister Petr Fiala's upcoming government.

Pavel, a former top NATO official, has been a strong supporter of the initiative.

The support was praised by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

Pavel said Babis could gain access to learn more closely about the initiative in order to see how it works.

"I assume that both with Andrej Babis, as well as with representatives of other parties, we will prioritize the interests of the Czech Republic, our allies and partners like Ukraine, and we will not harm them or ourselves," Pavel said.

The Czech government estimates the number of ammunition shipments will increase this year, after the delivery of 1.5 million ammunition, including 500,000 bullets, by 2024.