Czech Republic Plans To Continue Arms Supplies To Ukraine - Foreign Minister

Fahad Shabbir (@FahadShabbir) Published February 11, 2022 | 07:23 PM

The Сzech Republic's government is determined to continue arms supplies to Ukraine even though it had earlier decided to provide Ukraine with artillery shells, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said in an interview with Ukrainian media European Pravda published on Friday

KIEV (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 11th February, 2022) The Сzech Republic's government is determined to continue arms supplies to Ukraine even though it had earlier decided to provide Ukraine with artillery shells, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said in an interview with Ukrainian media European Pravda published on Friday.

In late January, the Czech cabinet decided to send 4,000 artillery shells, worth $1.7 million, to Ukraine as aid.

"I don't know yet what kind of form it would take, but our government has a political... will to help Ukraine to withstand the crisis. These efforts partially aim to alter loss calculations for (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, so that he could decide not to invade Ukraine physically," Lipavsky said.

Neither Czech Republic's government, nor the country's society had any debates, whether arms should be supplied to Ukraine or not, according to the minister.

Western countries have been delivering lethal weaponry to Ukraine amid high tensions between Kiev and Moscow.

Russia has warned Western counterparts that Kiev could use the weapons in military operations against the breakaway Donbas region.

The precarious situation around Ukraine has worsened in recent weeks with the United States and the European Union raising concerns over Russian military buildup at the Ukrainian border, and NATO urging allies to boost their military support for Kiev. The EU also expressed concerns over the possible disruption of Russia's energy supplies to Europe in the event of an escalation, while holding talks with the United States and other suppliers concerning the issue.

Russia in turn has on many occasions denied allegations of intending to invade its neighbor, pointing out that NATO's military activity near Russian borders poses a threat to its national security while hampering efforts toward peaceful resolution in Ukraine