Defence Ministry prepares another part of ammo initiative - press

Defence Ministry prepares another part of ammo initiative - press

Prague, July 24 (CTK) - The Czech Ministry of Defence is preparing the next part of an ammunition initiative for Ukraine, which will include five arms companies, Denik N daily reported today.

Defence Minister Jana Cernochova (Civic Democratic Party, ODS) told the news server that the plan, under the working title Initiative 2025, is a natural continuation of a functioning mechanism in which the Czech Republic should again be a mediator between payers and arms makers.

The government commissioner for the reconstruction of Ukraine, Tomas Kopecny, told Denik N that the payers should include mainly European states, specifically Denmark, the Netherlands and Germany. According to Kopecny, financial support could start to be negotiated with individual states at the end of the summer, depending on what the main item in the initiative will be.

"But we are continuously working out what exactly should be the main item. Whether artillery ammunition of 155 or even 152 mm, or another type of large-calibre ammunition, cannons," Kopecny told the server.

So far, 15 countries have contributed to the Czech initiative, which is seeking artillery ammunition for Ukraine also in countries outside the European Union. The first shipment of about 50,000 pieces of ammunition arrived in Ukraine some time ago. The Czech Republic is cooperating with the Netherlands and Denmark in the initiative.

The Czech Republic alone has contributed almost 866 million crowns to the supplies. By the end of the year, 500,000 pieces of ammunition should be delivered to Ukraine.

Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky (Pirates) said in Brussels this week that the Czech Republic is looking for money to buy more ammunition so that the initiative can continue in 2025.

Five companies, which have already participated in the first part of the ammunition initiative, are expected to supply the 2025 Initiative. "Specifically, these will be five companies, Michal Strnad's Czechoslovak Group, Martin Drda's STV Group, Omnipol, which is part of Ompo Holding, Colt CZ Group SE, whose majority owner is Ceska zbrojovka, and the DSS arms maker," Denik N wrote.

According to the server, the Agency for Intergovernmental Defence Cooperation under the Ministry of Defence is now filling in information from arms companies on what they could supply to Ukraine in the coming year.

"Counterparts from the ministry are continuously adding the offers of companies, which we are already currently targeting for 2025. It's basically simple. When you show your partners that your mechanism is effective and transparent, logically their confidence grows and they allocate additional funds," Cernochova told Denik N.

($1 = 23.366 crowns)

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