PRAGUE (Reuters) -Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will visit the Czech Republic on Sunday and meet its president, Petr Pavel, the Czech president’s office said.
The Czech government has been a strong backer of Kyiv since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, and has led an initiative to supply Ukraine with large-calibre ammunition that has delivered more than a 1 million shells.
Under the initiative, the Czechs have used their diplomatic, business and industrial expertise to find large-calibre ammunition around the world and ship it to Ukraine with funding from NATO allies.
“The Czech artillery initiative has proven effective, and we will continue this effort,” Zelenskiy said in a social media post on Sunday.
“Another area of cooperation is the development of our military aviation, expanding pilot training programs, and supporting our F-16 fleet,” he added. “Together with the Czech Republic and other members of the aviation coalition, we are preparing good news for Ukraine.”
Zelenskiy, who is accompanied on the trip by first lady Olena Zelenska, will also meet Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala on Monday, with the Czech ammunition drive among the topics on the agenda.
The Ukrainian leader said on X social media site on Saturday he was preparing for upcoming foreign policy meetings as he seeks partners to help push Russia into a ceasefire.
He also said he discussed air defence systems and sanctions on Russia with Donald Trump on the sidelines of Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican. The two agreed a 30-day ceasefire between Kyiv and Moscow was the correct first step towards ending the war in Ukraine, he said.
(Reporting by Jason Hovet in Prague, Pavel Polityuk in Kyiv, additional reporting by Alan Charlish; Editing by Toby Chopra)
