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Arab News
6 days ago
- Business
- Arab News
Czech-arranged ammunition shipments to Ukraine are increasing, says government
PRAGUE: Czech-arranged shipments of artillery ammunition to Ukraine are rising this year, proving partners' trust in a government program matching donations from NATO partners with offers to sell ammunition, the Czech Defense Ministry said on Thursday. As Ukraine suffered from shortage of ammunition last year, the Czechs set up a team which has together with private companies searched for available ammunition stocks and new production around the world. The available ammunition batches are being offered to donor countries, which then pick which they want to finance. The program, which makes use of the Czechs' traditional arms trading contacts, has been a flagship of the center-right government's international efforts to help Ukraine fight Russia's aggression. It has also donated heavy equipment and other material worth hundreds of millions of euros. Director Ales Vytecka of the defense ministry's AMOS international cooperation agency said that so far this year, shipments totalled 850,000 shells, including 320,000 NATO artillery 155mm calibre projectiles. This compares with 1.5 million total, including 500,000 155-mm shells, throughout 2024. Andrej Babis, head of the Czech opposition ANO party that leads opinion polls ahead of an election in October, vowed to scrap the initiative if ANO returns to power, saying in a Reuters interview this week the program was overpriced and untransparent. Vytecka rejected criticism of drive, saying there was as much transparency as security concerns allowed. 'Clear and undeniable proof of the satisfaction of our partners is the fact that in 2025 donors' contributions have significantly risen,' Vytecka said. So far this year, contributions have risen by 29 percent compared with the whole of 2024, he said without giving concrete sums, adding that countries raising their contributions included Canada, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Netherlands and Denmark. He said donor countries always decided themselves which supplies and at what prices they would finance, and the offers were subject to audits in individual donor countries. The Czechs have mostly acted as an intermediary. The government said last year it allocated around 35 million euros for ammunition purchases from a Czech supplier.
Al Arabiya
6 days ago
- Business
- Al Arabiya
Czech-arranged ammunition shipments to Ukraine are increasing, says government
Czech-arranged shipments of artillery ammunition to Ukraine are rising this year, proving partners' trust in a government program matching donations from NATO partners with offers to sell ammunition, the Czech Defense Ministry said on Thursday. As Ukraine suffered from shortage of ammunition last year, the Czechs set up a team which has together with private companies searched for available ammunition stocks and new production around the world. The available ammunition batches are being offered to donor countries, which then pick which they want to finance. The program, which makes use of the Czechs' traditional rms trading contacts, has been a flagship of the center-right government's international efforts to help Ukraine fight Russia's aggression. It has also donated heavy equipment and other material worth hundreds of millions of euros. Director Ales Vytecka of the defense ministry's AMOS international cooperation agency said that so far this year, shipments totaled 850,000 shells, including 320,000 NATO artillery 155mm caliber projectiles. This compares with 1.5 million total, including 500,000 155-mm shells, throughout 2024. Andrej Babis, head of the Czech opposition ANO party that leads opinion polls ahead of an election in October, vowed to scrap the initiative if ANO returns to power, saying in a Reuters interview this week the program was overpriced and untransparent. Vytecka rejected criticism of drive, saying there was as much transparency as security concerns allowed. "Clear and undeniable proof of the satisfaction of our partners is the fact that in 2025 donors' contributions have significantly risen," Vytecka said. So far this year, contributions have risen by 29 percent compared with the whole of 2024, he said without giving concrete sums, adding that countries raising their contributions included Canada, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Netherlands and Denmark. He said donor countries always decided themselves which supplies and at what prices they would finance, and the offers were subject to audits in individual donor countries. The Czechs have mostly acted as an intermediary. The government said last year it allocated around 35 million euros for ammunition purchases from a Czech supplier.
Reuters
6 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
Czech-arranged ammunition shipments to Ukraine are increasing, says government
PRAGUE, July 17 (Reuters) - Czech-arranged shipments of artillery ammunition to Ukraine are rising this year, proving partners' trust in a government programme matching donations from NATO partners with offers to sell ammunition, the Czech Defence Ministry said on Thursday. As Ukraine suffered from shortage of ammunition last year, the Czechs set up a team which has together with private companies searched for available ammunition stocks and new production around the world. The available ammunition batches are being offered to donor countries, which then pick which they want to finance. The programme, which makes use of the Czechs' traditional arms trading contacts, has been a flagship of the centre-right government's international efforts to help Ukraine fight Russia's aggression. It has also donated heavy equipment and other material worth hundreds of millions of euros. Director Ales Vytecka of the defence ministry's AMOS international cooperation agency said that so far this year, shipments totalled 850,000 shells, including 320,000 NATO artillery 155mm calibre projectiles. This compares with 1.5 million total, including 500,000 155-mm shells, throughout 2024. Andrej Babis, head of the Czech opposition ANO party that leads opinion polls ahead of an election in October, vowed to scrap the initiative if ANO returns to power, saying in a Reuters interview this week the programme was overpriced and untransparent. Vytecka rejected criticism of drive, saying there was as much transparency as security concerns allowed. "Clear and undeniable proof of the satisfaction of our partners is the fact that in 2025 donors' contributions have significantly risen," Vytecka said. So far this year, contributions have risen by 29% compared with the whole of 2024, he said without giving concrete sums, adding that countries raising their contributions included Canada, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Netherlands and Denmark. He said donor countries always decided themselves which supplies and at what prices they would finance, and the offers were subject to audits in individual donor countries. The Czechs have mostly acted as an intermediary. The government said last year it allocated around 35 million euros for ammunition purchases from a Czech supplier.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Czech government faces no-confidence vote over bitcoin scandal
PRAGUE (Reuters) -The main Czech opposition party on Thursday called a no-confidence vote in the government, accusing it of corruption over the acceptance of a payment to the state by an ex-convict worth $45 million in bitcoin. The vote, scheduled to take place on Tuesday, is likely to fail as the government has a majority in parliament - but it could still dent the ruling centre-right coalition's chances in an October 3-4 election in which it trails the opposition. Political veteran Pavel Blazek resigned as justice minister on May 31 for accepting the payment for the state, though he denied doing anything illegal. Opposition groups including the ANO party led by former prime minister Andrej Babis have called on Prime Minister Petr Fiala to quit and said the payment was evidence of corruption. "We have no choice," ANO vice-chair Alena Schillerova said on X after filing the no-confidence motion. The man who made the donation of 468 bitcoins to the state was in jail from 2017 until 2021 after being convicted of involvement in the drug trade, fraud and illegal possession of weapons. Blazek has faced criticism for possibly legitimising the ex-convict's assets, instead of turning to prosecutors or police to help secure them. Opinion polls show Babis's ANO party with a clear lead over the main group in the government coalition led by Fiala's ODS party.
Straits Times
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Czech government faces no-confidence vote over bitcoin scandal
PRAGUE - The main Czech opposition party on Thursday called a no-confidence vote in the government, accusing it of corruption over the acceptance of a payment to the state by an ex-convict worth $45 million in bitcoin. The vote, scheduled to take place on Tuesday, is likely to fail as the government has a majority in parliament - but it could still dent the ruling centre-right coalition's chances in an October 3-4 election in which it trails the opposition. Political veteran Pavel Blazek resigned as justice minister on May 31 for accepting the payment for the state, though he denied doing anything illegal. Opposition groups including the ANO party led by former prime minister Andrej Babis have called on Prime Minister Petr Fiala to quit and said the payment was evidence of corruption. "We have no choice," ANO vice-chair Alena Schillerova said on X after filing the no-confidence motion. The man who made the donation of 468 bitcoins to the state was in jail from 2017 until 2021 after being convicted of involvement in the drug trade, fraud and illegal possession of weapons. Blazek has faced criticism for possibly legitimising the ex-convict's assets, instead of turning to prosecutors or police to help secure them. Opinion polls show Babis's ANO party with a clear lead over the main group in the government coalition led by Fiala's ODS party. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
