The Czech initiative to supply ammunition to Ukraine aims to provide shells worth five billion euros ($5.95 billion), but so far only 1.4 billion euros have been raised, a senior NATO military official said on Wednesday. This is reported by Reuters, writes UNN.
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The program, which involves foreign donors, including Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands, along with Czech defense officials and defense companies, provides for the purchase of large-caliber ammunition for Ukraine to reduce its strategic disadvantage on the battlefield against Russia.
In December, the NATO Mission in Ukraine (NSATU) predicted that the initiative would ensure the supply of 1.8 million artillery shells in 2025, which would account for 43% of all ammunition transferred to Kyiv, and about 70% of Soviet-caliber ammunition.
According to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, ammunition worth 16 billion euros is currently available on the global market.
NATO plans to spend five billion euros mainly on the purchase of hundreds of thousands of artillery shells within the framework of the Czech program, he added, noting that donors have already allocated 1.4 billion euros.
Last year, donors provided about $4.8 billion to pay for ammunition supplies under the program, former Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský said in December. The Czech contribution amounted to up to 3 billion crowns ($145.15 million).