European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen and EU Council President Antonio Costa promised Ukraine additional European assistance. "Russia is doing everything it can to destroy energy and water infrastructure, but we are on your side," von der Leyen said at a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Brussels. She stressed that Russia had not only failed to respect US President Donald Trump's "energy truce" but had also further escalated the situation. “That is why we must increase the pressure on Russia”, she stressed.
The 22nd package of EU sanctions is currently being prepared. In connection with Trump's deal for Russian diesel, the Commission President said: “And one thing is absolutely clear: we will not lift the sanctions until Russia ends the war“.
The President of the EU Council, Antonio Costa, also assured Ukraine that it can count on the EU - not only to repel Russian aggression, but also for the country's future as a member of the European Union. All chapters in the negotiations for Ukraine's accession to the EU should be opened by the end of the year, ARD reported in this regard.
Ukraine and the EU discuss continued aid
On the second day of their summit, the heads of state and government of the 27 member states are discussing further support for the attacked country with Zelensky. Ukraine's financial and military needs are yet to be specified - this is mainly about the country's preparation for winter, but also about air defense and financial support for 2026 and 2027.
Last month, Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko announced that his country's budget for next year is missing 29 billion euros, and there is a gap of nearly 40 billion euros in the defense budget. The European Commission is checking these figures.
EU cannot replace Starlink system "in the short term"
It is known that in order to successfully defend itself against Russian aggression, Ukraine relies on the help of its allies - and in particular the United States. This includes information about air defense and the Starlink satellite internet of Elon Musk's company "SpaceX".
There is currently a problem with the provision of these services by the American side, which President Zelensky has raised the alarm about. This has thwarted a number of Ukrainian drone attacks, he added.
The EU's external representative Kaia Kallas stressed the importance of this technology for Ukraine. "Unfortunately, Europe cannot replace this capability in the short term", she said. According to her, the EU must "as soon as possible" to build the missing defense capabilities, “because we ourselves need them“.
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Source: www.dw.com