Ukraine hopes to have enough battlefield ammunition by April, says its PM

KYIV - Ukraine hopes to have enough ammunition for its outgunned troops to repel Russian aggression from April, amid a Czech-led initiative to source shells for supply, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on March 19.

Kyiv's troops were

forced to retreat from the eastern city of Avdiivka

in February in their biggest battlefield setback since May 2023 and face shell shortages, with a crucial military aid package from the United States

blocked for months by Republicans

in Congress.

"We hope that this Czech initiative, which Luxembourg joined, will help us, and beginning... April we will have enough ammunition to deter our front line," Mr Shmyhal told a news conference during a visit to Luxembourg.

Prague located 800,000 artillery rounds in third countries

earlier in 2024 to supply to Ukraine and says it raised funds from allies to purchase a first batch of 300,000.

A senior Czech official said the first deliveries were expected by June at the latest.

Mr Shmyhal said: "We also count on the supplying of long-range and middle-range missiles to cut Russian logistics on the occupied territories.

“It is also crucially important, (just) as the artillery shells are for us.” REUTERS