Czech Initiative to Supply 1 Million Artillery Rounds to Ukraine in 2026
By Jan Lopatka
Overview of the Czech Artillery Ammunition Initiative
Background and Recent Developments
PRAGUE, May 26 (Reuters) - The Czech Republic's initiative to arrange large-calibre ammunition supplies to Ukraine has contracts to deliver around 1 million rounds in 2026, the Czech defence ministry said, months after the programme was nearly cancelled under the country's new government.
The programme was set up in 2024 to help Ukraine narrow a large disparity with Russia in artillery, and officials said it delivered around 1.5 million rounds in 2024 and 1.8 million last year.
It came close to cancellation when new Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis and his anti-Ukrainian partners entered government together last December, but he kept the project running under pressure from foreign allies.
Donor Countries and Political Challenges
The Financial Times reported on Tuesday that the number of donor countries, however, dropped by half to nine since Babis took office. The ministry had no immediate comment on the report.
Details on Ammunition Deliveries
Current and Projected Supplies
The ministry said around 500,000 rounds had been supplied since the start of 2026, which is a similar number to amounts delivered in the same period of 2025 - but given lead times, those include deliveries contracted from earlier funding.
"At the moment, supply of approximately 1 million large-calibre ammunition pieces is predicted through all valid mechanisms with the ammunition initiative at the helm," the ministry said in an emailed response to Reuters questions about this year.
"This concerns ammunition that has already been contracted and will be supplied by the end of this year."
Mechanisms and Funding Sources
The ammunition initiative matches foreign donor countries, such as Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany and others, together with Czech arms traders seeking supplies from around the world.
The smaller mechanisms are bilateral deals or direct Ukrainian purchases, the ministry said. Funding has also come from the yield on frozen Russian assets provided by the European Commission.
Financial Aspects and Challenges
Funding Status and Donor Contributions
Low Funding, More Pricey Shells
Last May, the Czech government said it aimed for 1.8 million large-calibre rounds supplied for the full year, a number NATO and Czech officials later estimated was reached.
By October last year, foreign donors had provided around $4.5 billion to pay for ammunition supplies since the programme started in early 2024, the Czech government said.
The ministry said financing of "nearly 1 billion euros" has been secured so far this year.
The amount this year may still rise if more donors deliver funding, the ministry added, or if Ukraine uses funds from the EU's 90 billion euro loan for Kyiv.
"Same as in the past years, donors, and now the possible usage of the Ukraine Support Loan, come during the entire year," the ministry said.
A senior NATO official said in February €1.4 billion had been secured but €5 billion was targeted, without specifying the timeframe.
Rising Costs and Future Prospects
Supplies increasingly include more expensive, extended-range artillery ammunition, which the ministry said was more than twice the price of standard ammunition.
Babis has rejected any further national contribution, which had been a small fraction of the overall amount but also had symbolic value.
(Reporting by Jan Lopatka: Editing by Chiara Rodriquez)
