High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas highlighted the need for EU member states to provide Ukraine with air defense interceptors, noting that outreach efforts are also underway with non-EU nations.
She announced this on Tuesday in Dublin before the informal meeting of defense ministers of European Union member states.
According to her, supporting Ukraine in countering Russian aggression tops the meeting agenda, with the High Representative noting that over the summer months, Russia intensified attacks against civilians "to inflict maximum damage on the Ukrainian people and break their spirit."
"Ukrainians, of course, stand strong. We must support them. The main issue is air defense. They lack interceptors. We know that some countries hold interceptors nearing their expiration date, so it would be very good if they were transferred to Ukraine so they could use them to protect their citizens," Kallas stated.
Furthermore, she reported that the EU is "also conducting outreach to non-European Union countries to secure interceptors to protect the civilian population." "Of course, this is very difficult. At the same time, work is naturally ongoing on developing joint EU interceptors together with Ukraine," the High Representative added.
Kallas pointed out that today’s meeting is informal, meaning no official decisions will be taken, "but we are making real efforts to unblock the European Peace Facility" (designated to fund military aid to Ukraine – Interfax-Ukraine). "If this happens (unblocking the EUR 6.6 billion Facility – Interfax-Ukraine) in the coming days, many member states have already stated that all reimbursed funds they receive will be redirected to Ukraine, which would also mean substantial new funding for air defense capabilities that Ukraine needs," she said.
According to Bloomberg, the countries in question are Greece and Spain. Sources familiar with the matter report that NATO and EU allies are pressuring Spain and Greece to transfer Patriot interceptor missiles to Ukraine.
These requests were made over the summer and include a potential arrangement where Norway would purchase the missiles to subsequently transfer them to Ukraine.
The issue is expected to be on the agenda on Tuesday and Wednesday, as EU defense and foreign ministers meet in Ireland. Representatives from Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Norway, Iceland, and Switzerland will also join the discussions.
Among Ukraine’s allies, Spain and Greece possess some of the largest stockpiles of Patriot missiles, including inventories of interceptors approaching their expiration dates. Allies are particularly interested in these countries’ PAC-2 missiles.
