Czech Republic, Netherlands, Portugal to reinforce Ukraine

Three NATO members have announced they would send reinforcements to assist Ukraine in its battle against Russia.

The Czech Republic committed on Saturday to send a “shipment of weapons to Ukraine” worth over $8.5 million to a “place of Ukrainians choice.”

“The government has approved a shipment of weapons to Ukraine. We are sending machine guns, submachine guns, sniper rifles and pistols and their corresponding ammunition valued at CZK 188 million,” Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala tweeted.

“We are doing everything we can to help Ukraine,” Fiala added.

The Netherlands on Saturday also said it would be providing Ukraine with more firepower.

“The Netherlands will supply Ukraine 200 anti-aircraft Stinger missiles. Other defence material already on its way,” the prime minister’s foreign affairs and defense adviser, Geoffrey van Leeuwen, tweeted.

Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa said Friday that the country would be sending reinforcements to join Ukrainian soldiers on the ground to help secure their borders as this “is a war against the freedom of self-determination of a democratic country and therefore it is also a war against the freedom of self-determination and against democracy.”

Speaking at a televised news conference, the Portuguese prime minister went on to say, “there was an unanimity of all states, in view of the need to strengthen the NATO presence on the borders of Ukraine and in all the alliance countries that are close to the Ukraine region.”

“Portugal, in this sense, in addition to the forces that this year has assigned to the European command of NATO, decided to anticipate, from the second half to the first half, the mobilization and commitment of an infantry company that will act in Romania and that will be projected in the coming weeks,” Costa said.

“Several other countries at the moment are either anticipating or reinforcing or deciding to reinforce their participation with these countries [bordering Ukraine] in order to have a clear manifestation of unity and deterrence regarding Russia’s actions,” Costa added.

When asked for a specific number of that would be sent to support Ukraine, Costa said the infantry company would include 175 troopers.

CNN