PRAGUE (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th July, 2023) Czech President Petr Pavel said Thursday that Ukraine can continue to count on the full support of Prague.
"The Czech Republic was one of the first to assist Ukraine. We will continue to provide such comprehensive support to the Ukrainian people in the future," Pavel told a news conference after a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Prague.
Pavel added that the total Czech assistance to Ukraine, including the support of the government and ministries, public and non-governmental organizations, businesses and industries, as well as Czech nationals, amounted to 45 billion koruny ($2 billion). Pavel noted that Prague supplied 676 units of heavy and air defense equipment to Kiev, as well as 4.2 million pieces of medium and large caliber ammunition and 380,000 pieces of artillery shells.
Pavel also said that he sees no other outcome of the Ukraine conflict than the victory of Kiev.
"If Russia succeeds, the foundations of the society in which we live will be profoundly shaken," he said, adding that it was in Prague's interests that Ukraine joins NATO as soon as the conflict ends, which, he said, was "in the interest of our security, regional stability, and economic prosperity."
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala has earlier said that Prague's military aid to Ukraine since the launch of Russia's special military operation in the country on February 24, 2022, has amounted to almost 5 billion koruny.
Zelenskyy said on Telegram earlier on Thursday that he was en route to Prague to meet with Pavel, Fiala, the Czech upper and lower houses' chairs, as well as government and parliament members and media representatives to hold "substantive negotiations." He added that the main topics would include security assistance to Kiev, Ukraine's European and Euro-Atlantic integration and the upcoming NATO Summit in Lithuania's capital Vilnius, scheduled for July 11-12.
Czech media reported earlier in the day that a Czech military plane en route from Bulgaria's capital Sofia and with Zelenskyy aboard landed at Vaclav Havel Airport in Prague.
