In Prague on May 28, Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal met with a group of European Union leaders to discuss the delivery of air defense systems and artillery shells to Ukraine, citing Shmyhal's post on social media.
The Prime Minister met with the Prime Ministers of Czechia, Petr Fiala, Latvia, Evika Siliņa, Denmark, Mette Frederiksen, the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, and the President of Poland, Andrzej Duda.
The first issue discussed was the Czech initiative to supply artillery ammunition to Ukraine, with over €1.6 billion already collected. According to Shmyhal, it is crucial that the ammunition is delivered on time, systematically, and according to the schedule starting in June.
The second issue was the provision of air defense systems to Ukraine. The Prime Minister emphasized that Ukraine urgently needs at least 7 Patriot systems and modern combat aircraft, adding that Kyiv expects to receive its first F-16 fighters this summer.
Additionally, Shmyhal said that Ukraine is interested in creating joint ventures, transferring technology, and financing domestic production.
Separately, the Prime Minister thanked the European Union for creating the Ukraine Assistance Fund within the European Peace Facility.
"We now consider it necessary to quickly establish a mechanism where our partners purchase weapons for the Ukrainian army from Ukrainian manufacturers with subsequent compensation from this Fund," Shmyhal said.
The participants also discussed the first Global Peace Summit, which is to be held in Switzerland on June 15 and 16.
The Prime Minister expressed confidence that high-level talks "will yield very good results for Ukraine on the battlefield and for achieving a just peace."
Photo: Denys Shmyhal (facebook.com/dshmyhal/)
Military assistance for Ukraine
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala confirmed that the first batch of ammunition purchased under the Czech initiative will arrive in Ukraine in June.
The Netherlands is ready to transfer the first Patriot air defense system to Ukraine as soon as possible.
The United States has promised to do everything possible to find and deliver two Patriot systems to Ukraine.