Statement by High Representative/Vice-President Kaja Kallas to the European Parliament on the urgent need for EU support to Ukraine against Russia’s escalation of its war of aggression.

Opening remarks

Mr President, 

Honourable Members,

July and August were the deadliest months for Ukrainian civilians since the start of the war. With its army bogged down on the ground, Russia is killing civilians from the skies.

If Russia’s original plan was to invade a sovereign country and take land that wasn’t theirs to take, today its goal is even more intolerable: The Russian military is now indiscriminately and blatantly targeting the Ukrainian people. 

For example, in the last few months, Russia has destroyed around 90 percent of food storage infrastructure inside Ukraine. That is why we are helping Ukraine to increase its grain storage capacities.

And we already know what Russia is gearing up to do over the coming winter: intensify its attacks against energy facilities to make life even more unbearable for ordinary families in Ukraine. 

This year the European Union has made 75 million euro available for housing repairs and insulation plus essential supplies including warm clothing, blankets, portable water stations and generators. Winterisation efforts are a priority, second only to military support and air defence.

Putin believes his forces can spread so much fear amongst Europeans that we will stop supporting the Ukrainian people; be it by bombarding trains carrying foreign dignitaries from Ukraine or carrying out attacks as close to NATO borders as physically possible. Putin’s goal is to intimidate the West. 

I know there are fellow Europeans across the European Union, including MEPs in this house, who somehow view Ukraine as the obstacle to peace. So I say to you: Open your eyes. The only obstacle to peace is Russia. 

Putin now tries to spread hunger across the world by ordering strikes against Black Sea ports and commercial shipping, inland logistics, warehouses and production facilities. These attacks are causing higher wheat prices, higher food prices, and higher global food insecurity. 

This is why I am working with our global partners internationally for a Black Sea Moratorium. We will be meeting in New York next week to discuss this further. 

The world must not capitulate to Russia’s terrorism. 

Honourable Members,

The response to Russia’s aggression is simple: we keep up the pressure on Russia and we support Ukraine.  

The European Union has adopted 21 packages of sanctions covering over 3,000 individuals and entities. The last package was adopted on 23 July and targeted Moscow’s financial system, its military-industrial complex and energy sector. 

Our sanctions have already deprived the Russian economy of a trillion euro. We are now finalising the largest number of listings yet. Sanctions work and they are even more effective when adopted in tandem with our international partners.

With regards to our support to Ukraine, overall EU assistance amounts to over 220 billion euro since the start of the war.

• The EU and the Member States have provided more than 78 billion euro worth of military support to Ukraine.

• The Ukraine support loan provides 90 billion euros over two years, with 60 billion planned for military assistance.

• 8.35 billion has already been paid, including money destined for Patriot missiles.

Russia’s aim is to continue the war into next year. We must keep up our support to Ukraine. 

The most obvious and immediate answer from the Europeans is to use financing available under the European Peace Facility. We could provide another 1 billion euro in new funding for military support. I am working with Member States to disburse this.

Bilateral support is also important, and should be stepped up, in particular from partners outside the European Union.

In parallel, we keep supporting diplomatic efforts to bring Russia’s war of aggression to an end. We are always ready to step up our own engagement in that regard.

Honourable Members, 

Even wars have laws, and Putin’s regime is breaking all of them, all of them. 

That is why I have been actively mobilising support for both the International Claims Commission and the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine. We need to that ensure they can operate as soon as possible. 

To this, we add our support for the return of Ukraine’s deported children and for the release of every civilian detainee – many of whom are subjected to systematic torture in Russian prisons.  

The key to lasting peace, when the time comes, is accountability.

Honourable Members, 

Wars end when the cost to continue the fight— in money, resources, and human lives— is greater than any expected gains. Putin has little regard for his own people’s lives, but we can squeeze Russia’s finances and resources to fuel the war. 

If Putin will not come to the negotiation table voluntarily, collectively we apply the pressure to bring him there.   

Closing remarks

Thank you for this debate. Actually, first I wanted to start with reacting to what MEP Kolář said, but of course he has left the room. He said that we are standing by and being concerned. This is so wrong. The only ones who are very firmly standing behind Ukraine are the Europeans, and we should not overlook that. 21 packages of sanctions, dealing with the circumvention of sanctions, going after the shadow fleet that fuels the Russian war, 220 billion of euros of support to Ukraine since the start of the war. So please, let's not undermine what we are doing.

But at the same time, I also want to stress one thing. What I said in the beginning, Russia is increasingly targeting the civilians. Civilians means homes, schools, hospitals, people, most of all people. And if we give in to this, if we say that okay, we will give you what you want because we just can't tolerate this, then the aggressor gets what it wants, and then I can assure you that the appetite of the aggressor only grows, and not only Russia's appetite will grow, but actually also all the aggressors or would-be aggressors around the world can see that this works. So we will see more of it in the world.

About talking to Ukraine, first, Russia should talk to Ukraine. Ukraine and Russia should talk. All the others can be mediators or enablers, but they have to talk to each other. And if Russia would be serious about any kind of negotiations, they would agree to ceasefires so that diplomacy can have a chance.

We don't have that. Absolutely the opposite. We see that they are increasing the attacks. As long as Russia is not doing any of this – not sitting around the table, not actually negotiating, not negotiating with the big countries because they are just demanding what they want to get and not negotiating on any of the topics, and again they need to negotiate with Ukraine, as long as Russia is not doing that – we need to continue pressuring Russia by more sanctions, by more means of pressure, and we also need to help Ukraine so that they can defend themselves. It's about lives of ordinary people. It's about the lives of ordinary Europeans.

Thank you.

Further elements for Q&A

Financial support for Ukraine

• The Ukraine Support Loan for 2026-27 covers two thirds of the financial needs of Ukraine, EUR 11.6 already disbursed for the budget and defence support. 

• Over EUR 20 billion in EU financial assistance remains available for disbursement to the Ukraine budget support until end of 2026, subject to the fulfilment of reforms in line with the EU requirements. 

• We work hard with Ukraine to address financial needs for 2027 and with our international partners to raise their contributions to Ukraine for this and next year. 

Grain storage

• We are in discussion with UA authorities about supplying grain sleeves (polymer tube sleeves – each can normally store more than 200 tonnes of grain). NB/ UA has not yet requested assistance. 

• We (FPI) are in the process of procuring 2000 of these bags for Ukraine. They should be delivered in the next two months.