Ukraine PM to meet some EU leaders in Prague for military aid talks

Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal will meet a group of European Union leaders in Prague on Tuesday to discuss military aid to Kyiv for its fight against Russia's invasion, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said.

Speaking ahead of the meeting later in the day, Fiala reiterated that the first deliveries of ammunition procured in a Czech-led initiative, which sources supplies from outside the EU, would reach Ukraine in June.

"We will discuss all issues related to coordination and strengthening of aid for Ukraine in these tough moments," Fiala told a briefing shown live on television.

The working meeting over dinner on Tuesday evening will be attended by the prime misters of the Netherlands, Denmark and Latvia, and the Polish president, he said. They include some of the most prominent European backers of military aid for Ukraine.

The Netherlands said on Tuesday it would deliver parts of a Patriot air defence system to Ukraine and is talking to other countries in order to assemble a complete system.

Fiala also echoed the position of NATO General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg in saying Western countries should lift restrictions that have barred Ukraine from using donated weapons to strike Russian territory.