Prague, Czech Republic – Czech President Petr Pavel revealed a sharp decline in the international coalition supporting Prague’s initiative to supply Ukraine with artillery ammunition. He confirmed that the number of participating countries has dropped from 18 to just 9 since Prime Minister Andrej Babiš took office in December 2015.
An initiative in turmoil
In an interview with the Financial Times published on Tuesday, Pavel explained that the initiative—which had been providing approximately 50% of the large-caliber ammunition supplied to Ukrainian forces—remains in place despite financial difficulties.
The Czech president’s office declined to identify the countries that had withdrawn. Pavel noted, however, that “the difficulty lies in the fact that only nine countries are still contributing financially,” making it challenging to replace this vital role.
This decline comes amid the policies of the government of Andrej Babiš, who campaigned on a platform of opposing military aid to Kyiv. He pledged not to burden Czech citizens with the costs of weapons for Ukraine.
According to a Western military official, some participating countries are beginning to question why they are still contributing funds to an initiative that lacks political support from the country leading the effort. It’s worth noting that the initiative was launched in early 2024 to address Ukraine’s severe ammunition shortage. It has successfully delivered over 3 million artillery shells in the past two years, and contracts are in place for an additional 1 million shells in 2026.
Russia: Ukraine is a hub for arms smuggling
In response, Moscow escalated its rhetoric against Kyiv, with the director of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), Alexander Bortnikov, stating that Ukraine had become “the largest hub in Europe for the illegal sale of weapons and ammunition.”
Bortnikov asserted that the actions of the “Kyiv regime” had transformed the country into a center for arms smuggling under Western supervision. He also characterized it as a destabilizing factor in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).
The Russian offensive wasn’t limited to the arms issue; Bortnikov warned of the increasing activity of NGOs linked to British intelligence within CIS countries. He accused London of attempting to “shape a new generation that embraces Western strategic orientations” by infiltrating the media and undermining moral and religious values.
Obstacles to missile defense
For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged on Monday that there had been “little progress” in talks with the United States regarding expanding missile defense systems production.
Zelenskyy confirmed that Kyiv is currently working with European partners to accelerate the production of ballistic missile defense systems on the continent. He also stressed that American leadership remains vital and indispensable, despite ongoing European financial assistance.
