Czech Republic to train Ukrainian pilots and supply Kiev with combat helicopters

The Czech Prime Minister announced on Friday that his country will supply Ukraine with combat helicopters and train its pilots on American-made F-16 aircraft to aid in resisting the Russian invasion.

Petr Fiala also endorsed Ukraine's bid to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) after talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Fiala told reporters that "the Czech Republic will provide more combat helicopters and hundreds of thousands of heavy-caliber ammunition pieces."

He added, "It will also assist in training (Ukrainian) pilots on aircraft, including F-16s, and provide flight simulators to enable training within Ukraine as well."

Since the start of the invasion in February 2022, the Czech Republic has supplied Ukraine with 676 pieces of heavy weaponry and over four million pieces of medium and heavy ammunition, according to Fiala.

He continued, "This means 10,000 pieces of ammunition and at least one tank or armored vehicle or similar piece for every day of the war."

He added, "We will continue this aid, and the entire democratic world should do the same."

The Czech Republic has received more than half a million Ukrainian refugees.

Fiala affirmed that his country, a member of the European Union and NATO with a population of 10.8 million, will support Ukraine's bid to join NATO at the alliance's summit in Vilnius next week.

He said, "I expect all NATO members to clearly support Ukraine in its bid to join."

Zelensky is on a tour of European alliance members, which started on Thursday in Bulgaria, one of the major arms manufacturers.

He then headed to Prague, where he met the Czech President Petr Pavel, a former NATO general.

After Prague, he heads to Turkey on Friday for his first visit to the country since the Russian invasion, where he will hold talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

 

AFP