“We should provide Ukraine with every means to help it push the Russian army out of its territory.” In February 2023, just elected President of the Republic, Petr Pavel clearly displayed his ambitions. And, by proposing to buy ammunition outside the European Union, a year later during an international conference organized on February 26 at the Elysée, the veteran of the Czech army once again proves his unwavering support for Kiev.
Petr Pavel had thus mentioned some 800,000 munitions which could be sent to Ukraine “in a few weeks” if the necessary financing – 1.5 billion dollars, or 1.38 billion euros – were gathered. It is also on this subject that his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, is in Prague this Tuesday March 5. On this occasion, the French head of state called on his European allies “not to be cowardly”. And to insist: “We will have to live up to History and the courage it implies” in the face of “powers that have become unstoppable”.
Emmanuel Macron had already affirmed, at the end of February, that Paris would participate in the Czech initiative, without quantifying its contribution. Conversely, Belgium has already promised 200 million euros and the Netherlands, 250 million. “Our plan had been there for months, but France slowed down for a long time in the name ofBuy European’while we do not have the necessary production capacities: Europe promised a million munitions and we were not even able to provide half of them”, underlines Pavel Fischer, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee and defense of the Czech Senate, in the columns of World.
Ukraine’s number one ally?
Since the election of Petr Pavel, has the Czech Republic been Ukraine’s number one ally? In any case, the president wants to do everything for it and his actions prove it. The day after the election, which he won against the populist Andrej Babis, Petr Pavel spoke by telephone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to assure him of his country’s support.
Then, at the end of April 2023, the former soldier went to Ukraine, becoming the first foreign leader, since the Russian offensive, to go to the eastern part of the country, about a hundred kilometers from the front, as reported THE Figaro. Ex-president of the NATO Military Committee, from 2015 to 2018, “Petr Pavel is very popular and his policy towards Ukraine enjoys the support of the majority of the population in Czechia”, specifies the Czech political analyst and writer Jiri Pehe, in the daily.
In his follow-up on support for Ukraine by the different countries, the German Kiel Institute reports that in total, the Czech Republic helped kyiv to the tune of 1.335 billion euros between February 22, 2022 and December 31, 2023. The country thus ranks 8th in this ranking . As a reminder, France is in 14th position.
In detail, humanitarian and military aid from the Czech Republic amounts to 72 million and 1.263 billion euros respectively. On his website, the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Paris affirms that the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs notably contributed to the purchase of medical materials and equipment. The central European country is also participating in the Ukraine Reconstruction Program. “Until 2025, 500 million Czech crowns (or almost 20 million euros) will be allocated each year to this program,” specifies the embassy.