EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas said Russia had suffered significant economic and personnel losses over the summer, while EU member states were preparing tougher sanctions against Moscow and planned to further increase support for Ukraine.
Kallas made the remarks in Wicklow, Ireland, on Tuesday following an informal meeting of EU defence ministers, which was also attended by Ukrainian Defence Minister Yevhen Khmara.
She said the EU would increase support for Ukraine while continuing to invest in its own defence, describing this as the most effective way to stop Russian President Vladimir Putin. Kallas added that the EU was also preparing its most far-reaching sanctions against Russia.
According to her, Ukraine was increasing military pressure on Russia, with Ukrainian drones disrupting Russian logistics and striking oil refineries deep inside the country, contributing to what she described as Russia's worst fuel crisis in a decade. She also said Russia was losing more than 30,000 troops a month and concluded that the summer had been difficult for Putin.
Kallas said Khmara had stressed during the meeting that air defence remained Ukraine's top priority. She noted, however, that interceptor missiles were in short supply across Europe. She thanked EU member states for reviewing their stockpiles again and said Patriot missiles nearing the end of their service life should, in particular, be transferred or sold to Ukraine.
She added that member states were also considering reallocating existing orders and approaching partners for additional supplies. Kallas stressed that every interceptor provided to Ukraine reduced the risk of a Russian missile hitting a Ukrainian school, home or hospital, while every form of assistance to Ukraine also strengthened European security.
Turning to financial support, Kallas said bilateral assistance to Ukraine needed to continue. She noted that, in addition to equipment, Ukraine required modernised training facilities. Kallas recalled that earlier in the year she had proposed funding the modernisation of training grounds in Ukraine and thanked member states, including Ireland, for providing additional funding for this purpose.
She also said ministers had discussed the future of the EU Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine (EUMAM), including the creation of a coordination group in Kyiv aimed at better incorporating battlefield experience and strengthening military education.
Kallas further noted that cooperation between Ukraine and the EU in the defence industry was expanding. She said there were now more than 120 industrial partnerships between Ukrainian and European companies and described Ukraine as a global leader in battlefield innovation. According to her, deeper integration between Ukrainian and European defence companies was in the mutual interest of both sides.
