By KYIV. Dec 13 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The Czech Republic is providing Ukraine with financial assistance and equipment to get through the cold period in the amount of approximately EUR 8.5 million, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala has said.
Russia wants to leave Ukraine in the dark and cold, and we will not allow this. The Czech Republic is now supplying generator systems and heaters to Kharkiv region, Dnipro, Kyiv, schools and hospitals. This amounts to EUR 5 million so that people have light and heat in blackout time, he said at the "Standing with the Ukrainian People" international conference in Paris on Tuesday.
In addition, according to Fiala, the Czech Republic provides EUR 2.5 million for Points of Invincibility and EUR 1 million to support doctors. The republic will also provide pontoon crossings and bridge technologies.
In general, the Czech Prime Minister said that Europe should focus on three areas: defense, financial and humanitarian assistance.
Ukraine will need continuous defense assistance to drive out the invader – this is a prerequisite to end the war. It is also necessary to guarantee the economic stability and financial prospects of Ukraine. Therefore, he said that he is glad that the United States and the EU have provided it with macro-financial assistance. Humanitarian support is also needed to get through the winter and prevent migration waves, the head of government said.
At the same time, he said that coordination between Ukraine and Western partners is very important, and the Czech Republic, during its EU presidency, is actively promoting this coordination in the EU itself. By coordinating our assistance, we will be able to send it exactly where it is needed, the Czech prime minister said.
At the same time, in his opinion, one should not dwell only on urgent issues.
Now it’s winter, and therefore we are paying attention to urgent needs. But it will be a mistake to lose sight of the long-term stabilization, recovery and reconstruction. We have big challenges, but we cannot stop and slow down. Part of Ukraine is completely destroyed. Now we together will have to restore it, Fiala said.
He also said that the public and private potential in Ukraine is being used effectively, and Ukraine itself has shown great progress on its way to the EU "in these emergency conditions."
Fiala said that he saw this progress during his last visit to Kyiv (in October 2022), and it was amazing.
