Macron Prepares Ammunition Pledge for Ukraine Before Key Meeting

The French president travels to Prague on Tuesday for talks
The bloc is looking to source 800,000 shells outside the EU

Emmanuel Macron, France’s president, left, greets Petr Fiala, Czech Republic’s prime minister, at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, on Monday, Feb. 26, 2024. Photographer: Nathan Laine/Bloomberg

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By Ania Nussbaum and Alberto Nardelli

March 5, 2024 at 5:00 AM UTC

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French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to announce a pledge as soon as this week to support a Czech proposal to source hundreds of thousands of artillery shells from countries outside the European Union to back Ukraine’s war effort, according to people familiar with the matter.

Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark have all joined France in backing the plan to buy non-EU ammunition, and Macron will discuss the proposal with Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala during a trip to Prague on Tuesday, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. A separate discussion of EU defense and foreign ministers is expected to take place later in the week to hammer out the details.