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EU Countries Pledge More Air Defense to Protect Ukraine From Russian Missile Attacks
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Several European Union member states pledged additional air defense systems for Ukraine during an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers and invited non-EU partners in Ireland, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said, according to Ukrinform correspondent on September 2.
Speaking at a press conference following the meeting, Kallas said Russia had shown no indication of changing its war objectives, pointing to recent Russian strikes on Kyiv as evidence that Moscow was not seeking peace.
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Against this backdrop, Kallas said the EU was focused on providing Ukraine with the capabilities necessary to defend itself against Russian attacks.
According to the EU foreign policy chief, €8.47 billion (nearly $10 billion) has already been allocated through the Ukraine Support Loan, while an additional €6.1 billion (about $6.7 billion) has been approved, including funding for air defense.
Kallas stressed, however, that EU-level financing alone was insufficient and needed to be supplemented by bilateral assistance from individual countries. She welcomed commitments made during the meeting by several member states to provide Ukraine with additional air defense capabilities to counter Russian missile attacks.
Kallas did not specify how many interceptor missiles had been pledged. She said details on the quantities and specific contributions would be announced separately by the countries that had committed to providing them.
The new commitments come as individual European countries continue to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses through bilateral support. Germany, in particular, is expected to deliver additional air defense packages to Ukraine later this month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced following talks with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
According to Zelenskyy, Ukrainian and German officials are also finalizing a bilateral Drone Deal aimed at strengthening the defense capabilities of both countries.
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