Czech, Ukrainian governments to hold formal meeting today

Czech and Ukrainian governments will hold a joint meeting in Prague on Tuesday to discuss cooperation in various sectors, including defense, energy, and economic support. The meeting, announced by the Czech Government Office today, will also include bilateral meetings between ministers from both countries.

Ten Czech ministers, including Interior Minister Vít Rakušan and Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský, will attend the meeting. According to Tomáš Kopečný, the government's commissioner for the reconstruction of Ukraine, this meeting will not only show political support but also highlight the practical and beneficial agendas between the two countries.

"We have a large number of practical and beneficial agendas for the Czech Republic," Kopečný stated. He also recalled that Ukrainian First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Yulia Svyrydenko had held talks with Czech Industry Minister Jozef Síkela, with dozens of Czech companies participating. More than 100 Czech companies operate in Ukraine, some of them on a long-term and extensive basis, Kopečný added.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmyhal will meet with Czech President Petr Pavel at the Prague Castle in the afternoon.

A meeting of this size was last held in Kyiv in October 2022, where Czech ministers discussed Ukraine's ambitions to join the EU and NATO.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala has shown his support for Ukraine by visiting Kyiv twice, in March and May of 2022. During his visit in May, he met with Shmyhal to discuss military aid, defesce cooperation, and economic relations.

The Czech government has also taken concrete steps to support Ukraine during the ongoing conflict. In early July, the cabinet declassified a document revealing that Czech Republic has sent military equipment worth CZK 6.75 billion to Ukraine since the beginning of the invasion.

Pavel also announced that the Czech Republic has launched an initiative to find artillery ammunition for Ukraine in non-EU countries. The first shipment of 50,000 rounds has already arrived, and the goal is to deliver 500,000 rounds in total by the end of the year.

Additionally, as of mid-June, the Czech Republic has provided temporary protection to 350,000 refugees from Ukraine. The government also holds regular meetings with the Polish cabinet but has suspended intergovernmental consultations with Slovakia due to differences in foreign policy regarding Ukraine.