In a photo that immediately became viral, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala writes an inscription on the barrel of a battle tank, “To the brave Ukrainian defenders.”
“I wrote a short message to the brave Ukrainian defenders on the T-72 tank that will go to Ukraine,” Fiala tweeted. “I believe that the Ukrainians will win in their fight against the Russian aggressor.”
Na tank T-72, který poputuje na Ukrajinu, jsem napsal statečným ukrajinským obráncům krátký vzkaz.
Věřím, že Ukrajinci zvítězí v jejich boji s ruským agresorem. pic.twitter.com/XtM4NdaMDX
— Petr Fiala (@P_Fiala) January 9, 2023
The tank is part of a new batch being prepared by a Czech armory for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
“The weapon factory Excalibur Army is one of our key manufacturers of ground military equipment. It is mainly engaged in the modernization of ground equipment, whether it is T-72 tanks, DANA self-propelled howitzers or RM-70 rocket launchers. These are the weapons that are deployed in Ukraine,” the prime minister explained in another tweet.
“The most significant contract on which Excalibur Army is working in this area is the delivery of upgraded T-72 tanks to Ukraine, which is jointly financed by the United States and the Netherlands.
“This cooperation has clear benefits for all involved – NATO is strengthening Ukraine’s brave defenders on whose success global security depends and the Czech Republic is strengthening the capabilities of its defense industry,” Fiala said.
In a phone conversation on Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Fiala for the support rendered by the Czech Republic during its EU Council presidency.
“I had a meaningful conversation with the Czech PM, Petr Fiala. Thanked him for the support of Ukraine during the Czech Republic’s presidency of the EU Council. I told him about the situation at the front and the threat of escalation from the RF. We appreciate the important defense support from Czechia and expect it to be enhanced. Special attention was paid to the implementation of the Ukrainian Peace Formula,” the Ukrainian leader wrote on Twitter.
Провів змістовну розмову з ПМ 🇨🇿 @P_Fiala. Подякував за підтримку 🇺🇦 під час головування 🇨🇿 в Раді 🇪🇺. Розповів про ситуацію на фронті, загрозу ескалації з боку РФ. Цінуємо важливу оборонну підтримку 🇨🇿, очікуємо на посилення. Окрему увагу приділили імплементації 🇺🇦 #ФормулаМиру
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) January 9, 2023
Last November, Zelensky thanked the Netherlands, the United States and the Czech Republic for the delivery of 90 tanks.
