Ukraine's Zelenskiy gets Czech pledge for more ammo, pilot training on Prague visit

PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative photo — Ukrainian F-16s are seen flying over the country, August 4, 2024. (REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko)

PRAGUE  -  The Czech Republic will expand training for Ukrainian pilots and maintain a programme to deliver artillery ammunition to Ukraine, Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on Monday, after hosting President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

Zelenskiy was in Prague as part of stepped up efforts to rally European partners, while the U.S. administration pushes for a ceasefire in the more than three-year-old war.

The Czechs have been strong backers of Kyiv, spearheading a drive to source shells for Ukraine using financing from allies, which delivered around 1.5 million rounds last year.

Fiala said on Monday that half a million shells had already been delivered since the start of 2025. Zelenskiy and Czech President Petr Pavel said on Sunday that 1.8 million rounds could come this year.

In a news conference with Zelenskiy, Fiala said a well-armed Ukraine was the best security guarantee in Europe. He said the Czech Republic would expand training of Ukrainian pilots, including for F-16 jets, without giving details. 

While the Czech Republic does not own F-16s, it has supplied helicopter simulators to Ukraine. Zelenskiy supported the efforts for a Ukrainian-Czech F-16 training school. "We are ready to implement this project as soon as possible," he said.

Zelenskiy said on Sunday at the start of his Prague visit that a ceasefire with Russia was possible at any moment.

He has called on allies to apply greater pressure on Russia, and has said he and U.S. President Donald Trump have agreed that a 30-day ceasefire was the correct first step towards ending the war.

 (Reporting by Jan Lopatka in Prague and Yuliia Dysa in Gdansk, writing by Jason Hovet)