Ukraine has already received 4.4 million large-caliber shells as part of the Czech initiative, said Czech President Petr Pavel.
In an interview with Odkryto.cz , he stressed that many allies consider the initiative “extremely successful.” More than 50% of all large-caliber ammunition for Ukraine in the past was supplied through this initiative, he said, informs the portal PromPolitInform.
Pavlo also added that since the creation of the initiative, Ukraine has received 4.4 million ammunition, of which less than 2 million – in 2025. Without this assistance, the defense of Ukraine would be much more complicated, said Pavlo.
“If you look at simple figures, more than 50% of all large-caliber ammunition for Ukraine in the past was supplied through this initiative. Thus, we can say that it was vital for Ukraine. And it continues to have, because we do not yet have an alternative to it,” said the Czech president.
The Czech president also reacted to criticism of such an initiative. He noted that no information was received about any violations or facts of corruption regarding the use of this assistance.
“So if, for example, somewhere there are accusations of overstating profits for some company, I am absolutely for the investigation. But we should not jeopardize the entire initiative by doing this, because it is clearly transparent and enjoys the trust of our partners,” the Czech president emphasized.
According to a survey conducted in January 2026, about 62% of Czech citizens support the continuation of the initiative to purchase ammunition for Ukraine, and 36% are opposed.
For the first time, the Czech President Petr Pavel announced the possibility of purchasing 800 thousand shells for Ukraine on February 17, 2024. He said he found half a million pieces of ammunition of 155 millimeters and 300,000 of 122 millimeters. Pavel did not name the countries that agreed to sell the shells. A number of European states joined his initiative.
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