Reports indicate that Russia’s allies arranged ammunition sales to the Czech Republic with the aim of delivering supplies to Ukraine. The Wall Street Journal cites Czech officials in its coverage of this matter. The publication does not disclose the specific countries involved in the purchases.
Tomas Pojar, the Czech government’s national security adviser, was quoted by The Wall Street Journal saying, “Privacy is very important here: With very few exceptions, such as North Korea, we talk and will talk to anyone, regardless of loyalty or political position.”
To finalize contracts and secure export licenses, Czech officials conducted visits to a broad roster of states with ammunition production capacity or suitable stockpiles, some of which were not publicly disclosed. The Czech Republic reportedly requested payment from a Western country, and deliveries could pass through its territory or through third countries. In this way, Ukraine’s allies kept the true origin of the supplies hidden from Moscow’s orbit, a detail The Wall Street Journal notes they did not reveal to avoid provoking retaliation from Russia (The Wall Street Journal).
“We are like hobbits; small and peaceful, but in times of crisis we rush to achieve results and form alliances with much more powerful countries,” stated Special Representative of the Czech Republic to Ukraine, Tomas Kopetsny, to the newspaper (The Wall Street Journal).
The Journal identifies Germany, Canada, the Netherlands, and Denmark as among the nations contributing financially to these efforts, while noting that the United States did not participate in the transactions (The Wall Street Journal). The Czech Republic reportedly began acquiring ammunition even before the onset of what many called a special military operation in Ukraine. The Journal reports that the country managed to negotiate favorable terms with suppliers despite similar offers being rejected by the United States and Western Europe (The Wall Street Journal).
I have money for the first party
During the Munich Security Conference on February 17, the Third Country Ammunition Supply Initiative was presented to Czech Prime Minister Petr Pavel. He announced that 500,000 rounds of 155 mm caliber ammunition and 300,000 rounds of 122 mm caliber ammunition could be supplied to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The agency noted that the first batch could reach Ukraine no later than June (CTK, via The Wall Street Journal).
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba remarked that the initial deliveries would arrive in the near future, describing a concrete timeline during a press conference on March 13. He suggested signals indicated an imminent increase in frontline shell availability, arguing that the supply would not drag on for months (Kuleba, quoted in The Wall Street Journal).
Formerly identified as Tomas Pojar, the Czech official told Denik N that allies had so far only managed to secure funds for the first batch of shells (Denik N).
Kazakhstan does not sell weapons to Ukraine, Serbia declines to train soldiers
Earlier media reports suggested that Ukraine sourced military products from states aligned with Russia. On March 7, RIA Novosti reported negotiations with Kazakhstan by the Ukrainian state company Ukrspetsexport; Kazakhstan’s Defense Ministry dismissed these claims as inaccurate. The ministry urged the public and media to rely on official sources for information (Sputnik Kazakhstan, reported via RIA Novosti).
There were also Western media stories claiming that Serbia agreed to supply weapons to Ukraine. Reuters cited a leaked Pentagon document supporting this claim, while stating that Belgrade declined to train Ukrainian troops (Reuters, as cited in The Wall Street Journal coverage).