Czech arms manufacturer Czechoslovak Group, the largest supplier of ammunition in Central Europe, said that due to rising prices and poor quality, half of the shells promised to Ukraine could not be sent as quickly as planned. UNN reports this with reference to the Financial Times.
Details
CSG CEO Michal Strnad said that about 50 percent of the parts purchased by his company on behalf of the Czech government in countries such as Africa and Asia are not of sufficient quality to be sent to Ukraine without additional processing. For some projectiles, CSG is forced to add missing components of its own production.
"Every week the price goes up, and there are big problems with components," Strnad said.
However, he stressed that the Czech initiative remains "afloat" and that CSG is committed to delivering its share of deliveries.
The war in Ukraine has led to a sharp increase in prices for the limited number of shells that can be purchased outside of NATO countries, while Europe itself does not have the necessary ammunition.
But not in Europe," Kopechny said. "We are competing [with Russia] for several million rounds of ammunition... The only thing we need for this is appropriate finances," Strnad said.
Strnad said that the order portfolios of European ammunition manufacturers are full for the next eight years, depending on the type of parts, even though "we are all increasing capacity.
He also added that even in the unlikely event that the war in Ukraine ends right now, "we will have a huge amount of work ahead of us to replenish the strategic reserves of NATO countries.
Addition
It is expected that the first ammunition will arrive in Ukraine in early June. This was also confirmed by Czech prime minister Petr Fiala during an informal meeting with several European leaders.
Currently, only Canada, Denmark, The Netherlands and Portugal have sent money to buy artillery ammunition for Ukraine as part of the Czech initiative.