Check against delivery! 

Thank you, I am happy to be here. It is my first foreign Affairs Council – and I can tell you, it is different than the European Council. And you know, it was the first, so we can always do better. 

We had many issues on the agenda; key items were Syria’s transition, Ukraine, and Georgia.

Today we continued our push to limit Russia’s ability to wage war:

First, we adopted 15th sanctions package against Russia. This round targets the [Russian] shadow fleet, North Korean officials, and for the first time, Chinese firms making drones for Moscow.  Our message is very clear: You cannot fuel a war in Europe and get away with it.  

At the same time, Ukraine needs our support on the battlefield. The stronger they are on the battlefield, the stronger they are also behind the negotiation table. Not just to hold on, but to tilt the balance to their favour – because Putin will not stop unless he is stopped.

I think what the fall of Assad’s regime also showed is that Russia is weakened, and you cannot put your bets on Putin. He does not support you when you need him.

We must support Ukraine militarily. By end of winter, the European Union will have trained 75,000 Ukrainian troops. This month, the EU provided Ukraine €4.2 billion to support its budget. From January, we will be providing €1.5 billion per month.

But more support is needed. As Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha told us when he joined us by video, it is a very difficult situation for Ukraine on the battlefield.

We all heard him loud and clear: Ukraine needs more ammunition, stronger air defence and more support for its own defence industry as well. We must give Ukraine what it needs to win this war.

Link to the video: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/video/I-265128