Informal Meeting of EU Ministers of Defence: Press remarks by High Representative Kaja Kallas upon arrival

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We have a full day ahead with the defence ministers of European Union.

So first, of course, we will discuss Ukraine. July and August have been the deadliest months for the civilians in Ukraine. Russia is really escalating to hurt the people of Ukraine as much as possible to break them. The Ukrainians, of course, are standing strong, and we have to support them.

The main issue is air defence. They are lacking interceptors. We know that some of the countries have interceptors that will expire soon. So, it would be very good if those would be given to Ukraine so that they can use them to protect their people.

We are also doing the outreach for countries outside European Union to get the interceptors to protect the civilians. But of course, it is very hard.

And, at the same time, there is also work going on to put together the European interceptors - together with Ukraine. 

Then we will discuss space. Space is key enabler of defence, very important. So, there is civilian usage as well as military usage. And we really need to step up so that we are still a space power, considering what is going on there. We will discuss this with the ministers.

Then finally, maritime security. There, of course, the Strait of Hormuz.

The freedom of navigation needs to be respected. The diplomatic efforts are still ongoing, but no results at the moment. For us, it is important that there are no tolls, no fees for these routes that have been open before.

And the other topic that we are discussing under maritime security is the protection of critical undersea infrastructure. What more can we do together?

And then, finally, also Lebanon. The ministers will discuss about a European mission for supporting Lebanese armed forces, considering the situation there. So I think that is about it.

Link to the video: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/media/video/I-293168

Q&A

Q. High Representative, Germany wants today to announce who is behind the sabotage attempt in Leipzig this summer. What is the EU ready to contribute to support for Germany as measures of retaliation?

First, let us hear Germany really giving the news and information and sharing the intelligence that they have regarding these attacks, and then, of course, we can discuss what more can we do. It is clear that Russia is also, well I am now linking it directly, but let the Germans state what is behind. And of course, what we see in other countries is that the Russians are provoking more and more. So, the question for us is what do we do about this to deter them from going any further.

Q. How can the EU react on those attacks?

That is why we need to discuss the issues that we are discussing today. We have some critical capability gaps, and there are ways that we can really enforce and make this process faster so that we can fill the capability gaps, so that we would be also more credible to deter all these attacks. But it needs a lot of effort from all the Member States.

Q. A question on Ukraine: Can Ukraine expect any concrete deliverables from today, even though if it is an Informal Ministerial? Because the issue is really pressing.

It is an informal ministerial, so we are not directly making any decisions, but we are really making a push in getting the European Peace Facility unblocked. So, if that would happen in coming days, then many Member States have already said that all the funds that they are getting back, they will give to Ukraine. So that would also mean a lot of new funding for the air defence for the capabilities that Ukraine needs.

Q. Would you have a number for that?

We know that the EPF that has been blocked was €6.6 billion, but the question, and right now we have the discussion, how much it goes back to the Member States and how much of it also goes to Ukraine. So, I cannot mention any concrete number.