European Group of Five (E5): Press remarks by the High Representative Kaja Kallas following the meeting
Thank you, dear Boris. Thank you for convening us today. We really had a very good and open discussion. Thank you everybody for that.
I also want to thank Germany for further increasing its support to Ukraine from next year - the decision to increase annual support to €11.5 billion sends a powerful message of support. And Germany's leadership on Ukraine saves lives and sets an example for the rest of Europe.
I have just returned from meeting of G7 foreign ministers, and we all agreed that immediate and full ceasefire is a priority. But right now, Russia does not want to negotiate at all. Every time the world reaches out, Russia responds with missiles. Russia's latest attacks make abundantly clear that Russia is pressing with war, and this pattern keeps repeating.
Ukraine will need more funding next year. There are several options, but using immobilised Russian assets is the most clear-cut way to sustain Ukraine's defence. It is also the way to show Russia that time is not on their side. Supporting Ukraine is a bargain compared to the cost of Russia's victory.
Wars are lost by whoever runs out of money or soldiers first. That is why we continue to apply pressure on Russia with sanctions. Work is going on the 20th package of sanctions, and sanctions clearly work better when they are matched by our international partners. The latest US. Sanctions are already depriving Russia of revenues that it uses to fund its war. Our sanctions are hitting Russia where it hurts.
Today, we also spoke about the rise of hybrid attacks against Europe: sabotage, cyber-attacks, drone incursions have become a daily occurrence. We cannot accept this as the new normal.
We must work together systematically to counter hybrid threats and restore deterrence. On European Defence Readiness, the EU has presented a clear roadmap to fill the capability gaps across nine areas. Now the work will fill these gaps is starting. Seamless military mobility is essential for European defence readiness. We need to be able to move troops and military equipment where we need them and when we need them.
Next week, I will present, together with the Commission, a plan to improve military mobility and this will include proposals to make our roads, bridges, tunnels, train lines, airports and other infrastructure projects able to cope with large scale military movements, pool transport resources to help each other out when needed, and make the permit process for moving troops around Europe faster.
Dear Boris, thank you again for welcoming us in Berlin. And thank you for Germany playing a pivotal role in Ukraine's defence and defence of our union. Thank you.
Q&A
Q: Can you explain just what kind of a message is coming out of this meeting? This is, of course, a very strong, visible sign that you're all standing there together and when you're talking about the EU's plans to increase military mobility, Ms. Kalas, how is that linked with NATO's plans? And how do you want to avoid confusion between all the various institutions?
It is complementing NATO's plan. We are in constant contact with NATO, so that we do not duplicate, but we try to contribute. We have NATO's military plans ready, but then we have all the Member States that need to deliver for those capability targets. And that is why we have come up also with the Capability Coalitions, because there are a lot of capabilities that are too expensive to procure for one country alone, but they are also answering the NATO's military targets for those countries who then cooperate. So, no duplication in this regard. When it comes to military mobility, the roads, bridges, Member States need to build those. But they need to be also really in line with those plans that actually Member States are able to move military from where it is to where they need it and when they need it so. So, this is definitely complimentary to what NATO is doing. Thank you.
Q: My question is about China, apart from Russia, that is a threat to our security. They are very active in the Arctic region, and they are involved in the war against Ukraine. So did you talk about China in your discussions today?
China is the key enabler of Russia's war in Ukraine. But we also have other worries with China regarding their economic coercive practices that they are using, we see increasing weaponisation of trade. For example, when it comes to critical raw materials, that are also necessary for our defence industries. We discussed this briefly that in order to get rid of the old dependencies, we should be very careful not create new ones that could also hurt us. So, very briefly, yes we discuss this. Thank you.
Q: As you know, there was another deadly drone attack last night in Kyiv. I just had my colleagues on the phone, and my question would be: would the European Union -or the group of five format-, consider supporting Ukraine by defending the Western Ukrainian airspace, like from European territory, for example, with long range defence systems from European soil, in the end to free up the Ukrainian defence systems for the major cities?
Of course, what kind of military support to give to Ukraine is up to the Member States to decide. It is clear that Ukraine needs more air defence. Like it was already mentioned, 93% of Russian targets have been civilian targets. So, to defend their country, they need more air defence, they need more ammunition, we also talked about that. What more can we do in this regard, because it is really urgent. Russia wants to show that they can outlast us, and we have to show that that is not true. We are supporting Ukraine so that they can defend the people. But when it comes to concrete air defence equipment, Member States have it, the European Union does not have it, so Member States need to decide on giving that.
Link to the video: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/media/video/I-280650