Czechia to send Ukraine more attack helicopters, ammunition.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala tweeted[1] on July 7 that his country would send Ukraine additional attack helicopters and "hundreds of thousands" rounds of large-caliber ammunition "in the coming months." Czechia will also help Ukraine to train its pilots, including on F-16 fighter jets, said Fiala. The country will deliver flight simulators to enable Ukraine to conduct the training on its soil, not just in Western countries.

The announcement comes a day after President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Prague to meet with Czech President Petr Pavel, PM Fiala, and other top officials. Their talks have reportedly[2] focused on defense assistance to Ukraine, the unfolding situation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the Ukrainian peace formula, and the upcoming NATO summit, among other topics. Before Czechia, Zelensky visited Bulgaria[3], and his next stop will be Istanbul[4], Turkey.

Ahead of the Vilnius summit, Kyiv is actively seeking additional support for Ukraine's NATO membership bid. Ukraine hopes to receive a "clear signal" from allies regarding its membership prospects at the event, set to take place on July 11-12. According to PM Fiala, Czechia has supplied Ukraine with 676 pieces of heavy equipment and over 4 million ammunition rounds since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion.

For 2023, Prague has reportedly committed around 2 billion Czech crowns (£93 million) for Ukraine military aid.

Dietzen, Druckman: Vilnius NATO Summit - Accelerating Ukraine's membership and deterring Moscow and Minsk This month's NATO summit takes place at a time of both peril and opportunity for the future of European security. The Wagner Group's June 24 sprint from Rostov to the gates of Moscow dealt a fresh blow to criticism of NATO's decision to extend a Membership Action

[5] Dinara Khalilova

News editor

Dinara Khalilova is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent.

She has previously worked as a fixer and local producer for Sky News.

Dinara holds a BA in journalism from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and a Master's degree in media and communication from Bournemouth University in the UK.

References

  1. ^ tweeted (twitter.com)
  2. ^ reportedly (kyivindependent.com)
  3. ^ Bulgaria (kyivindependent.com)
  4. ^ Istanbul (kyivindependent.com)
  5. ^ Dietzen, Druckman: Vilnius NATO Summit - Accelerating Ukraine's membership and deterring Moscow and MinskThis month's NATO summit takes place at a time of both peril and opportunity for the future of European security.

    The Wagner Group's June 24 sprint from Rostov to the gates of Moscow dealt a fresh blow to criticism of NATO's decision to extend a Membership Action (kyivindependent.com)

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