Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy flew to Turkey on Friday to seek more security and diplomatic support, as the Czech Republic said it had raised enough funds from Kyiv’s allies to start buying a planned 800,000 artillery shells for its hard-pressed army.
Mr Zelenskiy was scheduled to meet Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan for talks on Kyiv’s 10-point “peace formula” for ending Russia’s invasion and on economic and security support from Ankara. He was also expected to visit a Turkish shipyard that is building corvettes for the Ukrainian navy.
Turkey has positioned itself as a possible mediator between Kyiv and Moscow, but their positions look hard to reconcile: Russia says any peace deal must include recognition of Kremlin rule in areas it has occupied, while Ukraine says Moscow must recall all troops, pay reparations and face a war-crimes tribunal.
Heavy fighting continued in eastern Ukraine, where Kyiv says its forces are stabilising the front line after abandoning the town of Avdiivka in Donetsk region last month. Russia now controls Avdiivka and says it is improving its positions in the area.
Ukrainian officials and soldiers say the defence of Avdiivka was compromised by a lack of artillery shells, due largely to the refusal of Republican congressmen to approve White House plans to keep sending US military aid to Ukraine.
“Many thanks to all the countries that have joined the Czech initiative to purchase ammunition for Ukraine so far. We have managed to raise enough money to buy the first batch of 300,000 artillery shells. However, our goal is to deliver much more,” said Czech prime minister Petr Fiala.
“Our work and our help to Ukraine do not end here. We keep seeking partners so that we can continue to support Ukraine in its brave fight against the Russian aggressor.”
[ ‘Our great-grandparents talked about war, but now it is us and our children’Opens in new window ]
Czech president Petr Pavel said Norway’s pledge of about €140 million to the fund on Thursday gave Prague enough money to start buying the 800,000 shells that it says are available on world markets and can be sent to Kyiv within weeks.
Prague has not revealed where it will buy the shells or how much each participating state contributed, but the countries involved include Belgium, Britain, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.
British defence secretary Grant Shapps was in Kyiv to announce that London was increasing to £325 million (€382 million) a drone assistance package to Ukraine, which is leaning heavily on explosive-carrying and surveillance drones on land and in the Black Sea.
Mr Shapps said he wanted to “raise the alarm” over the risk of “a democratic country like Ukraine” being “taken over by a dictator” like Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Western states “easily have the resources” to ensure a Ukrainian victory “if we have the will”, he added. “This is a wake-up call for the world – let’s make sure Ukraine wins this war.”
Mr Zelenskiy has announced that Ukraine’s new ambassador to Britain will be Valeriy Zaluzhny, a popular general who was replaced last month as commander of his country’s armed forces.
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