The Czech Republic will expand training for Ukrainian pilots and maintain a programme to deliver artillery ammunition to Ukraine, Prime Minister Petr Fiala said, after hosting President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Zelenskyy was in Prague as part of stepped-up efforts to rally European partners, while the US administration pushes for a ceasefire in the more than three-year-old war.

The Czechs have been strong backers of Kiev, spearheading a drive to source shells for Ukraine using financing from allies, which delivered around 1.5 million rounds last year.

Fiala said on Monday that half a million shells had already been delivered since the start of 2025. Zelenskyy and Czech President Petr Pavel said on Sunday that 1.8 million rounds could come this year.

Can the West ensure security guarantees Ukraine is seeking?

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy demands that the West should defend its territorial integrity by making it a NATO member, but the Trump administration has other ideas.

🔗

In a news conference with Zelenskyy, Fiala said a well-armed Ukraine was the best security guarantee in Europe. He said the Czech Republic would expand training of Ukrainian pilots, including for F-16 jets, without giving details.

While the Czech Republic does not own F-16s, it has supplied helicopter simulators to Ukraine. Zelenskyy supported the efforts for a Ukrainian-Czech F-16 training school. "We are ready to implement this project as soon as possible," he said.

Zelenskyy said on Sunday at the start of his Prague visit that a ceasefire with Russia was possible at any moment.

He has called on allies to apply greater pressure on Russia, and has said he and US President Donald Trump have agreed that a 30-day ceasefire was the correct first step towards ending the war.