“The initiative still works, but the new problem is that only about nine member states contribute financially,” Pavel told the FT newspaper. “This initiative provided up to 50 percent of all large-caliber ammunition supplied to the Ukrainians, so in this sense it cannot be easily replaced by anything,” added the Czech president, who was one of the initiators of the project.
According to him, the question of the future of the initiative should be among the topics discussed at the July NATO summit in Ankara.
Neither Pavel nor his office have yet disclosed which countries have recently withdrawn from the initiative. However, one Western military official said according to the FT that Germany and some Nordic countries remain among the paying participants, but that “some states now find it strange to pay for something that is not even properly supported by the government policies of the leading countries”.
Alliance Secretary General Mark Rutte recently pointed out that aid to Ukraine is currently “not evenly distributed” within NATO. “I really wish that more countries that speak so positively about Ukraine would back up their words with actions,” Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson also said a few days ago.
