Upon her arrival at the European Union Foreign Affairs Council (Defence) meeting in Brussels, High Representative Kaja Kallas emphasized that the meeting's agenda is centered on two main pillars: enhancing support for Ukraine and building up the European Union's own defence readiness and capabilities.
Kallas stressed that Russia does not want peace, necessitating that Ukraine be made "as strong as possible" to face this "very difficult time." She noted that this week could be "pivotal for diplomacy," announcing that she would speak with the Ukrainian Defence and Foreign Ministers following reports of "difficult but productive" talks held in the United States.
Responding to journalists' questions about Europe's role, Kallas confirmed that supporting Ukraine's position involves two key actions:
Pressuring Russia: By imposing further sanctions and moving forward with the "reparations loan" plan, which Moscow fears.
Supporting Ukraine: Providing military, financial, and humanitarian support to enable Kyiv to "last and outlast Russia."
Regarding the reparations loan financed by frozen Russian assets, Kallas acknowledged "legitimate concerns" from Belgium about the risks, but indicated that other Member States are willing to share those risks.
She stated decisively: "we are not going to leave the Council in December without the result for the financing of Ukraine."
Concerning the size of the Russian army, Kallas stated that the EU does not generally interfere with sovereign countries' decisions on military size, but clarified that pressure should be directed towards the Russian army as it is the one that poses a "risk to everybody," noting that if Russia continues to maintain a large military, it "will want to use it again."
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