Ukraine air defence gets no new EU pledges, Kallas says

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said EU defence ministers made no concrete progress on Tuesday in securing fresh interceptor missile pledges for Ukraine, while insisting that alleged Russian “hybrid attacks” would not scare Europe away from supporting Kyiv.

Kallas spoke after defence ministers from the bloc met in Ireland. She said Ukraine needs more US-built air defence missiles as Russia continues strikes on Ukrainian targets.

“Unfortunately no concrete success today,” Kallas said, referring to efforts to obtain interceptors from countries including Greece and Spain, which are believed to hold stockpiles.

Kallas said Ukraine's defence minister Yevgeniy Khmara joined the discussion by video. EU foreign ministers are due to meet on Wednesday, with top diplomats from Ukraine, Britain and Canada also set to join.

The talks followed what Ukrainian officials said was a Russian drone and ballistic missile barrage that killed at least 12 people in Kyiv and its region overnight Monday to Tuesday, as children were beginning a new school year.

Kallas also said Russia was hitting Europe with “a wave of increasingly kinetic hybrid attacks” and wanted to scare the bloc away from supporting Ukraine. “They will not succeed,” she said.

The Kremlin has been accused over the summer of increasing sabotage activity against Ukraine's European backers. German ministers were reported to be preparing to officially blame the Kremlin for an incident involving an explosive-laden drone at Leipzig airport last month.

Kallas said the growing number of incidents carried a risk of spilling over into bloodshed. EU officials said they did not believe Moscow was preparing for a military attack soon, but were bracing for more activity below the level of open conflict.

US media reported that CIA chief John Ratcliffe made a surprise visit to Moscow last week and warned Russia against attacking any NATO country.

Lithuanian Defence Minister Robertas Kuanas told AFP that the EU and NATO needed to take a stronger approach to deter Moscow. He said the organisations should “show our strength and not only complain or just talk,” but did not give further detail.

The EU is also considering further sanctions and funding options for Ukraine. Brussels has floated plans to add 1,600 more firms and individuals to its Russia sanctions list. Discussion has also resumed on whether to use about 200 billion euros, or $235 billion, in frozen Russian central bank assets to fund Ukraine.