Poland will fulfill its promise to help finance a Czech initiative to buy ammunition for Ukraine from outside the EU, Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski has told the European Truth news outlet.
The Polish diplomat was responding to reports that Warsaw was the only country among Kiev’s backers that had yet to contribute to the scheme, despite vowing to do so earlier this year. According to the Polish newspaper Wyborcza, as of August this year, over a dozen countries had provided funds to buy more than half a million artillery shells, sourced from manufacturers outside the European Union, with Germany providing the largest share.
Sikorski acknowledged that Warsaw has yet to make any payments towards the scheme, citing temporary obstacles.
“We have made a political decision to allocate €50 million this year and another €50 million next year. But there are some technical, administrative and legal issues related to the state agency for strategic reserves,” the foreign minister said.
He noted that the foreign Ministry has already done its part, and he now hopes that “colleagues from other ministries will also do everything,” pledging: “It will definitely be done.”
The Czech initiative to procure shells for Kiev from around the world was announced back in February, to fill a void after Western manufacturers failed to supply artillery rounds fast enough to meet Kiev’s battlefield demands. Ukraine’s backers have reportedly only been able to collectively produce 1.3 million shells in a year, while Russia has been able to make 4.5 million at a quarter of the cost of European and American equivalents.
A total of 18 countries, including Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands and Portugal, signed up to cover the cost of Prague’s plan. In July, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky stated that 15 countries had made contributions, and that there were enough funds to deliver 500,000 shells to Ukraine by the end of the year. Czech officials have also suggested extending the scheme into 2025.
Moscow has repeatedly criticized the West’s continued military support for Kiev, and argued that weapon and ammunition shipments to the country only serve to prolong the fighting and cause more bloodshed, without affecting the eventual outcome.