Deputy Minister of Defense, Lieutenant Colonel Yurii Myronenko, said this during an event dedicated to the anniversary of the Public…
In Kyiv, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with President of the Czech Republic Petr Pavel in a one-on-one format, as well as in an expanded format.
This was reported by the Office of the President of Ukraine.
The Head of State noted that Petr Pavel is a true friend of Ukraine and has gone a long way together with us throughout all the years of the full-scale war. As a sign of respect and gratitude to the President of the Czech Republic and his entire country, Volodymyr Zelenskyy awarded Petr Pavel the Order of Yaroslav the Wise, First Class.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy separately highlighted the Czech artillery initiative launched in 2024, which has proven effective and provides the Armed Forces of Ukraine with the necessary ammunition. Petr Pavel noted that the new Czech government has continued this initiative.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy briefed his counterpart on the situation at the front and Ukraine’s recovery needs. In the conditions of a very harsh winter, Ukrainians are forced daily to restore normal life-support systems after Russian strikes. The leaders discussed the supply of aircraft to counter Shahed drones.
“Each of these strikes on energy infrastructure and our cities clearly demonstrates Russia’s real interests and intentions: they are not interested in agreements but in the continued destruction of Ukraine. And this is precisely why diplomacy is stalling”, — Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized.
The leaders also discussed the implementation of important decisions and initiatives at the European level. In particular, they discussed the allocation of €90 billion to Ukraine over two years from the European Union.
According to the Head of State, Ukraine also expects tangible participation in the pan-European defense program SAFE, as it has already demonstrated its ability to produce effective weapons in cooperation with partners.
In particular, there is potential in artillery and drone production, including interceptor drones, together with the Czech Republic. In addition, further active joint work with partners is needed within the framework of the PURL program.
