Ukraine’s allies gather up nearly all funds for 800,000 artillery shells – Bloomberg

Western countries have allocated almost all of the funds needed to purchase hundreds of thousands of artillery shells that Czechia pledged to send to Ukraine, Bloomberg reports.

Unnamed sources confirmed the ammunition could be shipped to Ukraine within a few weeks. The exact timing will depend on contracts and delivery schedules.

Czechia will act as an intermediary with states that are willing to finance the purchase of shells for Ukraine.

During the Munich Security Conference on February 17, Czech President Petr Pavel said his state had identified 500,000 155 mm and 300,000 122 mm shells that could be delivered within weeks if money was available.

Czechia could transfer the shells in a matter of weeks if it secures funding from the United States, Germany, Sweden, and other allies. The initiative has already been supported by Canada with its $23 million allocation, Netherlands with €100 million, Belgium with €200 million, and Lithuania.

So far, 15 states support the purchase of ammunition for Ukraine outside of the EU. In recent months, the bloc has significantly increased its ammunition production and will bring this capacity to 1 million rounds per year in March this year and 2 million in 2025.