President Petr Pavel held talks on Wednesday with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy on the implementation of the peace plan, the current situation on the battlefield, and the Czech munitions initiative, the Presidential Office communication department said yesterday.
The launch of negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union was also on the agenda.
The meeting of the delegations was also attended by the Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky, Defence Minister Jana Cernochova and Chief of General Staff Karel Rehka.
“At the meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the President discussed the implementation of President Zelenskiy’s peace plan following the summit in Switzerland, the current situation on the battlefield, the Czech munitions initiative, and the launch of accession negotiations on EU accession,” the Presidential Office told journalists.
Zelenskiy wrote on social media that the two presidents coordinated their positions ahead of the NATO-Ukraine Council meeting. He also mentioned the munitions initiative and Ukraine’s path to the EU and NATO among the topics of the meeting. “Thank you for your help in the efforts to bring Ukraine closer to NATO and to restore a just peace,” Zelenskiy said.
The talks in Switzerland in mid-June were based largely on Zelenskiy’s 10-point plan, which lists the withdrawal of the Russian army from occupied parts of Ukraine, including annexed Crimea, as one of the conditions for peace.
Prime Minister Petr Fiala announced in late June that the first shipment of ammunition secured through the Czech initiative had arrived in Ukraine some time ago. Cernochova clarified that this amounted to 50,000 pieces of ammunition. The Czech Republic cooperated with Germany on the delivery. So far, 18 countries have joined the initiative, 15 of which have pledged money.
The Czech Republic, which seeks ammunition on non-EU markets, has contributed nearly CZK 866 million to the initiative. The aim is to deliver 500,000 pieces of ammunition to Ukraine this year.
Ukraine started talks on its accession to the European Union at the end of June, at the first intergovernmental conference in Luxembourg. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal described it at the time as a historic day for Ukraine and Europe.
