Participation in a Czech-led initiative to buy ammunition for Ukraine has dropped sharply since Prime Minister Andrej Babiš returned to office in December promising that Czech citizens would not pay for weapons supplies to Kyiv.
Speaking to the Financial Times, Czech president Petr Pavel said only nine countries are now financially supporting the programme, compared with as many as 18 last year.
The decline has raised concerns about burden sharing and the long-term future of the scheme, which was launched by the previous pro-Brussels government with strong backing from Pavel, a former Nato commander.
Pavel said the initiative remained operational but warned that reduced participation posed a serious challenge. He noted that the programme had supplied up to half of all large-calibre ammunition delivered to Ukraine and could not easily be replaced.
Since 2024, Prague has coordinated the delivery of more than four million artillery shells to help Ukraine maintain its defence against Russia’s invasion.
Pavel said the future of the initiative should be discussed at Nato’s summit in Ankara in July. While his office declined to name countries that had withdrawn, a western military official said Germany and several Nordic states were still taking part.
Babiš defended his government’s position, saying limited public funds should be focused on Czech households struggling with high energy costs following the Iran conflict.
