Czechia to get $106 million in military support from U.S.

The Czech Republic will get $106 million in support from the United States for its military modernization and for cyber protection. The U.S. Congress has approved the step, the Czech Defense Ministry and the U.S. Embassy in Prague announced today. The funds are a partial compensation for the aid Czechia has given Ukraine since it was invaded by Russia.

Out of this aid, which is worth an equivalent of CZK 2.7 billion, $100 million will come from an American program of foreign military funding that is part of the Congress-approved second package of aid to Ukraine. Some $6 million dollars, which comes from a fund to fight Russian disinformation and cyber attacks, will support the building of cyber protection teams to be established in the Czech military, the Defense Ministry said.

"We perceive the gift as an expression of the recognition of how Czechia has been helping Ukraine since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine and of our responsible approach to our security and that of our allies," Defense Minister Jana Černochová said in a press release.

Prime Minister Petr Fiala said the U.S. financial aid proved that the key allies knew about the Czech support to Ukraine and appreciated it.

"Thanks to these funds, we will be able to replace the military equipment we donated to our Ukrainian friends even better and faster, and accelerate the gradual modernization of the army," Fiala said on Twitter.

Černochová said the money would also be used to finance further aid to Ukraine. Czechia ranks among the biggest providers of military aid to Ukraine, and has provided military material worth over CZK 3.8 billion to Kyiv since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.

“The Czech Republic has shown tremendous leadership in supporting Ukraine in the face of Russia’s illegal full-scale invasion,” Christina Agor, the Chargé d’affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Prague, said in a press release. “We are deeply appreciative of all the equipment and supplies the Czech Republic has provided from its own stocks to add to Ukraine’s defense.”

The embassy added that Congress has also authorized the U.S. Department of State to provide loans from the foreign military funding program with the aim of enhancing the security capacity of NATO allies, including the Czech Republic, and deepening security cooperation with the U.S. while trying to make U.S. systems more affordable.

Cyber protection will not be a center in the physical sense of the word, but software and hardware that will be used by various units of the Czech armed forces, according to Brigadier General Miroslav Feix said.

“The U.S. will help us protect our deployed troops, our equipment, and weapons from the Russian threat, whether technical or informational. We need hardware and software to take into operations. We have to protect modern military equipment in a modern way, antivirus [software] is not enough for that," Feix said.

In early September, the U.S. said it was going to provide a total of $2 billion to Ukraine and another 18 countries in the form of loans and subsidies designated for buying U.S. weapons. Of that money, $1 billion is to go to Ukraine and the rest to the other states, according to the Associated Press.

Czechia might also gain money from the EU, whose funds may reimburse up to 80 percent of the military aid that Czechia provided to Ukraine.

The Czech Defense Ministry does not specify the type of aid set to Ukraine for security reasons. According to unofficial information, Czechia has supplied tanks, helicopters, and rocket launchers to Kyiv, among other items.