Foreign donors have allocated 93.3 billion crowns ($4.5 billion) to the Czech initiative to find and deliver large-caliber ammunition to Ukraine, with the Czech Republic contributing 1.7 billion crowns, the country's Defense Minister Jana Černochová said on Wednesday, UNN reports with reference to Reuters.
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According to the publication, it is currently unclear whether the Czech Republic's participation in this program will continue under the next government.
Prime Minister Petr Fiala stated at a press conference with Černochová that the Czech Republic has organized the supply of 3.7 million artillery shells for Ukraine, including 1.3 million this year.
Funding for the supplies came from the implementation of the initiative, as well as from funds from frozen Russian assets, bilateral cooperation, and direct Ukrainian purchases, he said.
Fiala stated that this year's supplies are expected to amount to 1.8 million shells.
The program connects Czech arms manufacturers and traders with potential sellers, who often prefer to remain anonymous, as well as with foreign donors.
Andrej Babiš, whose ANO party won the parliamentary elections in the Czech Republic on October 3-4 and is negotiating to form a cabinet with two, as the publication writes, "marginal parties," criticized the initiative.
Before the elections, Babiš stated that he would end the program, but after his victory and after President Petr Pavel called on the parties to continue the program, his position became less clear, the publication notes.
Babiš, reportedly without going into details, called the initiative opaque and overpriced, stating that arms dealers made too much profit from it, while the outgoing government declared its transparency to donors providing funding.
Babiš stated after the elections that he would also stop any military aid to Ukraine funded by the Czech budget, the publication indicates.
The country's government stated on Wednesday that the total amount of Czech military aid to Ukraine has reached 17.4 billion crowns. It includes donations of 390 units of old equipment, including tanks and helicopters, contributions to international funding programs, the ammunition supply program, and the purchase of new equipment.
In return, the Czechs received funds and equipment worth 25 billion crowns within support programs, including American helicopters and Leopard 2A4 tanks from Germany.