A meeting of the Council of EU Foreign Ministers, attended by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, made the final decision to allocate an additional EUR 5 billion for military support to Kyiv within the framework of the European Peace Facility.

According to the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Kuleba expressed gratitude to his colleagues for this step.

At the meeting, the Minister called on European partners to take all necessary decisions as soon as possible to increase and accelerate the supply of weapons and ammunition to the Ukrainian military, as well as the development of the defense industries of the European Union and Ukraine.

Kuleba also thanked the Czech Republic for the timely initiative to purchase artillery ammunition for Ukraine and all EU member states that have already made their contributions to implement it.

"I urge those who are still thinking about contributions to make them as soon as possible. This applies not only to the Czech initiative, but also to several other similar initiatives. Every day matters," he said.

The Ukrainian Foreign Minister stressed that Russia's threats against NATO and EU members indicate that the Russian dictator is seeking to expand aggression and supporting Ukraine is the only way to thwart these plans.

Kuleba noted that the Ukrainian wars are now the only line of European defense against Putin's aggressive Russia, which seeks to destroy Europe and the normal lives of millions of Europeans.

"The Ukrainian soldier is Europe's only hope for maintaining peace. There should be no restrictions or delays in providing the Ukrainian military with everything they need to break the back of the Russian occupation forces on Ukrainian soil," he said.

The Minister also noted that Ukraine has completed all four steps defined by the European Commission as part of the Expansion Package. He expressed hope that the European Commission and the EU member states would objectively assess Ukraine's progress and make the decisions necessary for the practical start of negotiations on our country's accession to the European Union.

Kuleba also noted the need to increase sanction pressure against the aggressor state, synchronize sanctions against Russia and Belarus and close all loopholes for the export of dual-use goods to Russia, which it uses to produce weapons.

The Minister welcomed the initiative of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to use the proceeds from frozen Russian assets to purchase military equipment for Ukraine. In his opinion, the allies must also find the necessary legal grounds and political will to use not only the income, but also the assets themselves.