Czech Republic wants more money for ammunition Ukraine, NATO is considering a fund | War in Ukraine

Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky says more money is needed to purchase ammunition for Ukraine, reports Reuters. Last month, the Czech Republic announced that the target amount had been achieved. That appears to be the target amount for the first shipment of 300,000 artillery shells, not the final amount for the desired 800,000 pieces.

The Czech Republic has set itself the target of collecting 1.4 billion euros. It wants to buy ammunition for Ukraine in countries outside the European Union in the short term. The Netherlands is contributing 250 million euros to the Czech plan.

Ukraine faces major shortages not only of artillery shells, but also of air defense systems. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba repeated that message on Wednesday. “The solution is there for the taking. It is a matter of political will, so someone has to make a decision,” he told Reuters.

“The best way to avoid the need for your defense systems to protect your own airspace is to send them to Ukraine,” Kuleba said.

NATO wants to play a greater role in providing military support to Ukraine, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said ahead of a two-day summit with the foreign ministers of NATO member states. “That’s a reflection of the seriousness on the battlefield.”

Discussions include a fund of 100 billion euros to support the government in Kyiv over the next five years. That amount must be raised by the 32 Member States. Stoltenberg did not want to go into details, but does acknowledge that there is a proposal on the table to make aid “more robust” and “predictable”.

Estonia has proposed that NATO member states from now on spend 0.25 percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) every year on military support for Ukraine. This is in addition to the so-called NATO standard that requires all member states to spend 2 percent of their GDP on defense.

Russia is increasing pressure on the front, Stoltenberg said. Aid must therefore be arranged differently, more focused on the long term. “So that we become less dependent on voluntary contributions.” That is why NATO’s role in coordinating aid and providing training must increase, he believes.

Finland, NATO’s youngest member, signed a 10-year security deal with Ukraine on Wednesday. This happened during a visit by Finnish President Alexander Stubb to the country.

Part of the agreement is a defense package worth 188 million euros. This brings the total Finnish contribution to Ukraine over the past two years to around 2 billion euros.

In addition, Finland and Ukraine are seeking cooperation in the areas of defense, reconstruction and political reforms.

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