Czechia to Fund U.S. Weapons for Ukraine for the First Time

Czechia will allocate funds to the PURL initiative for the first time, under which allied countries finance the purchase of U.S.-made weapons for the Ukrainian Defense Forces.

Foreign Minister Petr Macinka announced the decision, according to CT24.

It will mark the first time Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’s government has contributed to military aid for Kyiv.

Speaking before arriving at the NATO summit in Ankara, Türkiye, the foreign minister noted that Czechia would redirect funding from several projects to the PURL initiative.

“We are currently considering redirecting funding from certain projects that are financed from our budget to support Ukraine to this PURL program,” Macinka said.

He is expected to present the Czech Republic’s change in position to the foreign ministers of NATO member states and Ukraine on Wednesday.

The Czech government of Andrej Babiš, which came to power at the end of last year, had previously refused to allocate funds for weapons for Ukraine or provide military assistance.

President Petr Pavel described his country’s participation in the PURL program as a positive signal.

Meanwhile, Andrej Babiš said that the purchase of American weapons for Ukraine would be a one-time measure. According to him, he does not know the exact amount of money that will be spent on it. However, he noted that it would be a relatively small amount.

In June, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine announced the receipt of 10 ALTO NG aircraft, provided with support from the Czech government and Czech citizens through the Dárek pro Putina charitable foundation, for the training of military pilots.

Training on light aircraft will significantly reduce the cost per flight hour compared with flying combat aircraft and will accelerate cadets’ transition to Western aircraft.

In addition, the Come Back Alive Foundation, together with the Czech charitable organizations Post Bellum and Skupina D, delivered 550 interceptor drones to units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces as part of the Dronefall initiative.