Ukraine artillery shell deliveries could exceed vowed 800,000, reaching 1.5 million, says Czech FM

Ukraine may receive 1.5 million shells as part of the Czech initiative instead of the promised 800,000, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic Jan Lipavsky said in an interview with Bloomberg.

"We can do much more than the initially announced number," he said, citing a figure of 1.5 million shells as a potential volume.

Lipavsky clarified that the financing of the first supplies of ammunition is necessary before their shipment to Ukraine begins. Therefore, the Czech initiative by itself will not be enough to support Ukraine.

Czechia's top diplomat is convinced that the ammunition initiative is already bearing fruit and influencing the hostilities, despite the fact that deliveries have not yet begun.

"As we see, it already helps Ukraine to fight better, because they know that they will have a supply of fresh ammunition, which changed their perspective on usage of the current stockpiles," he explained.

On February 17, during the Munich Security Conference, the President of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel, announced that 800,000 shells could be sent to Ukraine within a few weeks, if funding is secured.

On March 13, Ukraine's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, reported that, in addition to the Czech initiative for the purchase of ammunition for the Defense Forces, there are currently several others, and their implementation depends only on the issue of funding.

FM Lipavsky said on March 20 that his country currently has 300,000 shells that will provide "a vital few months' breathing space" on the front lines.