Warsaw has joined the Czech initiative to purchase hundreds of thousands of artillery rounds for Ukraine - announced Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski.

Rounds of artillery ammunition are seen in a position nearby Bakhmut. Photo by AA/ABACA/PAP/Abaca

Poland's decision would bring it into alignment with nations such as Germany, France, Sweden, Belgium, the Netherlands, USA and Canada. This strategy involves the Czech Republic acting as an intermediary to connect governments interested in funding the procurement of ammunition from sources outside the European Union.

The initiative to purchase ammunition for Ukraine was announced in mid-February during the Munich Security Conference by Czech President Petr Pavel. He then informed that the Czechs had found half a million NATO 155-millimeter bullets and three hundred thousand 122-mm caliber bullets used in post-Soviet equipment in various places around the world.

Last week, the Czech prime minister Petr Fiala said that enough money had been raised to purchase the first batch of artillery shells. "Many thanks to all the countries that have joined the Czech initiative to purchase ammunition for Ukraine so far. We have managed to raise enough money to buy the first batch of 300,000 artillery shells. However, our goal is to deliver much more! Our work and our help to Ukraine do not end here. We keep seeking partners so that we can continue to support Ukraine in its brave fight against the Russian aggressor.", Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala announced on X/Twitter on the 8th of March.

According to Bloomberg, Kyiv is estimated to need at least 200,000 rounds a month to keep up the fight against Russia’s invading forces, whose average daily shell use can be anywhere from three to five times what Ukrainian forces can fire.

(J)