The Czech prime minister said Friday his country would send combat helicopters to Ukraine and train its pilots on US-made F-16 jet fighters to help it battle the Russian invasion.
Prime Minister Petr Fiala also endorsed Ukraine’s bid to join NATO following talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“The Czech Republic will donate further combat helicopters and hundreds of thousands of large-caliber ammunition,” Fiala told reporters.
“It will also help train (Ukrainian) pilots including on F-16 planes and supply flight simulators to enable training in Ukraine as well,” he added.
The Czech Republic has provided Ukraine with 676 units of heavy weaponry and more than four million units of medium- and large-caliber ammunition since the invasion started in February 2022, Fiala said.
“This is 10,000 pieces of ammunition and at least one tank, armored vehicle, or a similar piece of equipment for each day of the war,” he added.
“We will continue this aid and the whole democratic world must do that as well.”
I confirmed to President Zelensky today that the Czech Republic will donate more attack helicopters to Ukraine and hundreds of thousands more pieces of large-calibre ammunition in the coming months.
We will also help Ukraine with pilot training, including training for F-16… pic.twitter.com/2Wo0O0WCFy
— Petr Fiala (@P_Fiala) July 7, 2023
The Czech Republic has also received almost half a million Ukrainian refugees.
Fiala added the EU and NATO member of 10.8 million people would endorse Ukraine’s bid to join NATO at the alliance’s summit in Vilnius next week.
“I expect all NATO allies to clearly support Ukraine in its effort to join,” he added.
Zelensky is on a tour of European NATO members, which began on Thursday in Bulgaria, a major arms maker and ally.
He then went to Prague to meet Czech President Petr Pavel, a former NATO general.
After Prague, he is due to head to Turkey for his first visit since Russia’s invasion and talks with counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
