The Prague-led international initiative to supply ammunition to Ukraine faces uncertainty as the opposition ANO party vows to halt the program if it returns to power in October elections, Financial Times reports.
Karel Havlíček, deputy leader of ANO questioned allegedly unsatisfactory shell quality and pricing.
“We have information from the military sector that the quality is not ideal and that it is just extremely expensive,” he told FT.
The initiative, announced by Czech President Petr Pavel, has already delivered 520,000 rounds of 155mm ammunition to Kyiv in 2024, according to Czech deputy foreign minister Eduard Hulicius. An additional 300,000 shells are planned for delivery.
The Prague-based Czechoslovak Group, Central Europe’s largest ammunition supplier, reported meeting “almost all of its commitments,” citing logistics capacity limitations for delivery delays.
Kristýna Helm, vice-president of the Czech defense and security industry association, characterized the initiative as a stop-gap measure, noting Europe’s inability to supply large-caliber ammunition independently.
Havlíček claimed the initiative might become irrelevant if US President Donald Trump allegedly secures a ceasefire with Russia.
“When we will be in government, it will be the end of the war and should it not be the end, then it will be really bad for Ukraine,” he stated.
In 2024, Andrej Babiš faced criticism for joining the “Patriots for Europe” alliance with far-right Austrian leader Herbert Kickl and Hungary’s PM Viktor Orbán – the Kremlin’s biggest ally in the EU, raising concerns over his alignment with Moscow-friendly politics.
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