Kallas says Ukraine needs member states' planned support sooner

The European Union has called on member states to bring forward contributions they had planned to provide to Ukraine at a later stage, as Kyiv needs assistance now, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said at a press conference following an informal meeting of EU defense ministers in Ireland, Report's European bureau informs.

Kallas clarified that the call did not concern front-loading funds from the agreed €90 billion loan to Ukraine, but rather accelerating contributions planned by individual member states.

"When we are talking about front-loading, then we are talking about asking the member states to front-load their contributions that they have planned in the future because Ukraine needs these things now," Kallas said.

She added that the EU already had concrete plans and the necessary decisions in place regarding the €90 billion loan. According to Kallas, Ukraine has already received slightly more than €8 billion.

At the joint press conference, Ireland's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Trade and Defence Helen McEntee said a significant number of member states had supported the call. She noted that information presented by the Ukrainian side at the meeting showed that there was a gap in assistance, particularly with the winter season approaching.

"There is a gap, there is a need," she said, noting that 75% of Ukraine's critical infrastructure had already been targeted by Russian strikes.

Kallas also said the meeting had failed to secure any concrete commitments on supplying Ukraine with interceptor missiles for Patriot air defense systems.

"We didn't get any concrete decisions today," she said, adding that discussions on the missiles, including with countries that have them in their stockpiles, would continue.

Addressing the growing risk of Russian attacks against EU countries, which she described as increasingly "kinetic," Kallas stressed that Europe must be prepared to respond to such actions.

She also said the EU was preparing its biggest sanctions package targeting Russia's military industry, aimed at weakening the country's weapons production. Kallas noted that Russian weapons still contain European, Asian and North American components.