Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala announced on Monday that his country will continue supplying artillery ammunition to Ukraine and broaden its training programme for Ukrainian pilots, following talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Prague.
Zelenskyy was in Prague as part of stepped up efforts to rally European partners, while the U.S. administration pushes for a ceasefire in the more than three-year-old war.
Ukraine’s Western allies are in discussions about supplying additional Patriot air defence systems to Kyiv and are aiming to reach an agreement before a NATO summit at the end of June, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Ukraine is increasingly desperate to get more Patriots, with President Zelenskyy telling CBS news last month his government was ready to buy 10 of the U.S.-made air defence systems that are vital for shooting down Russian ballistic missiles.
The Czechs have been strong backers of Kyiv, spearheading a drive to source shells for Ukraine using financing from allies, which delivered around 1.5 million rounds last year.
Fiala said on Monday that half a million shells had already been delivered since the start of 2025. Zelenskyy and Czech President Petr Pavel said on Sunday that 1.8 million rounds could come this year.
In a news conference with Zelenskyy, Fiala said a well-armed Ukraine was the best security guarantee in Europe. He said the Czech Republic would expand training of Ukrainian pilots, including for F-16 jets, without giving details.
While the Czech Republic does not own F-16s, it has supplied helicopter simulators to Ukraine. Zelenskyy supported the efforts for a Ukrainian-Czech F-16 training school. “We are ready to implement this project as soon as possible,” he said.
Zelenskyy said on Sunday at the start of his Prague visit that a ceasefire with Russia was possible at any moment.
He has called on allies to apply greater pressure on Russia, and has said he and U.S. President Donald Trump have agreed that a 30-day ceasefire was the correct first step towards ending the war.
(With inputs from Reuters)
