The Czech-led initiative to supply artillery ammunition to Ukraine will continue for as long as the country still needs it, the country’s Defence Minister Jaromír Zůna told Euractiv. “The ammunition initiative will continue as long as it is necessary to assist Ukraine in its defence against the Russian invasion and as long as it is supported and required by our international partners,” Zůna said on Tuesday via email.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Prague plans to guarantee deliveries of urgently needed artillery ammunition, particularly 155 mm extended-range shells. “We are currently the single most important source of this material,” Zůna said. “The Czech Republic is thus fulfilling its specific role alongside other partners who focus on other types of support and deliveries.” Set up in 2024, the initiative supplied around 1.5 million rounds in 2024, 1.8 million last ​year, and is expected to deliver one million rounds this year for a €5 billion price tag footed by countries supporting Ukraine’s war efforts. According to Zůna, a retired lieutenant general, Ukraine’s successes on the battlefield in recent months, as well as strikes deep inside Russian territory targeting key economic and logistical targets, have “put strain on [Moscow’s] ability to sustain the war”. While both sides continue to pay a high price in what has become a war of attrition, and Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities persist, “Ukraine has significantly improved the effectiveness of its forces and its ability to adapt”, he said.