EU defence ministers have agreed to distribute €6.6 billion in European Peace Facility funding for Ukraine and discussed ways to increase the pot.
Ministers also approved the next phase of work to strengthen the European Defence Agency, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said after talks in Brussels on Monday, according to the European External Action Service (EEAS).
Kallas added that this would allow the agency to increase joint procurement, focus more on defence innovation and help EU countries develop military capabilities together.
The meeting discussed the EU’s first annual defence readiness report, which Kallas said provides a “comprehensive picture” of Europe’s preparedness, adding that Europe needs to “rearm more quickly and more effectively” to meet a 2030 target.
Air defence was described as Ukraine’s main priority, with Ukraine’s Defence Minister Khmara raising the issue again during the meeting, Kallas told reporters.
The EU has approved procurement plans worth €28.3 billion under the Ukraine Support Loan, including purchases of Patriot missiles from future US production, she said, adding that Kyiv needs Patriot systems sooner than production timelines allow.
One option discussed was for EU member states and partners to supply missiles from their own stocks to Ukraine in exchange for later replacements financed by the Ukraine Support Loan, Kallas said.
Training mission extended and more maritime boardings reported
Ministers agreed on a first step in a strategic review of the EU Military Assistance Mission for Ukraine (EUMAM) — an EU programme to train Ukrainian personnel — and backed extending it for another two years, Kallas said, according to the EEAS.
The EU will also move ahead with a coordination cell in Kyiv focused on “battlefield lessons” and strengthening military education, she added.
Kallas also noted that the Netherlands had announced a contribution that closes a funding gap for the modernisation of two training centres in Ukraine, alongside support from Germany, Ireland, Denmark and Luxembourg.
On maritime security, Kallas said EU naval operation IRINI had conducted six boardings of suspected vessels in recent months and was using the legal framework under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) — an international treaty setting rules for activities at sea — to inspect and seize vessels.
Ministers also formally extended the mandates of the EU Border Assistance Mission at the Rafah crossing (EUBAM Rafah) and the EU police mission in the Palestinian territories (EUPOL COPPS), with Kallas saying the EU would continue supporting border management as well as Palestinian policing and justice.
