Czech Republic confirms continuation of 'shell initiative' during visit of Foreign Minister to Kyiv
Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andriy Sybiga held talks in Kyiv on 9 January with the newly appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic Petr Macinka. This is reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the parties discussed a wide range of bilateral issues, including cooperation in the defence sector, further implementation of the Czech projectile initiative, development of the Ukrainian defence industry and participation of Czech business in the reconstruction of Ukraine. Andriy Sybiga emphasised that the visit of his Czech counterpart was a manifestation of solidarity, as it took place after another massive Russian missile strike on Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Foreign Minister informed Petr Matsinka about the current dynamics of peace efforts, contacts with the United States and European partners and expressed hope for an active role of Prague in achieving a just peace. Special attention was paid to the support of Ukrainian citizens in the Czech Republic and their contribution to the country's economy.
For his part, the Czech Foreign Minister confirmed that his country would continue the "shell initiative" for Ukraine and would continue to supply the necessary ammunition and military equipment. According to Matsinka, this initiative remains extremely important both for Ukraine and for the security of Europe as a whole.
During the visit, the Czech delegation was also presented with archival diplomatic documents of the UPR and the Ukrainian State, which, according to Andriy Sybiga, testify to the long-standing historical ties between Ukraine and the Czech Republic and the common tradition of fighting for freedom and dignity.
