Check against delivery!   

Good morning, 

Work continues. We have just had a meeting with Minister [for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro] Kuleba who is coming from Guatemala, and he will have the opportunity of meeting the Indo-Pacific [countries and regional organisations].

He will stay with us in the lunch, and it is a good occasion for Ukraine to reach out to this very important part of the world and to explain what is happening in Ukraine. 

In this meeting, Minister Kuleba explained the situation on the ground, how Russia continues bombing systematically, and the requirement to the European Union for more support. 

And certainly, we have to speed up the support. 

He gave me just a figure: in the Bakhmut area, where fighting continues, Ukraine needs about 1,000 shots of [long-range] artillery [shells] per day. 1,000 per day, just in Bakhmut. In order to have an idea of the intensity of the fighting and the fire power of Russia and how Ukrainians can resist this continued and systematic bombing. 

We are providing them [with ammunition] but certainly, we make the commitment of speeding up the provision of ammunition for this fighting. 

I am really sorry that it is the way it is. But as long as Russia continues attacking, Ukraine has to defend [itself]. And this is the requirement that Minister Kuleba presented today to the [EU Foreign Affairs] Ministers. 

Now, we are going to start talking with the Indo-Pacific [partners]. You know how important is the Indo-Pacific is today in the global geopolitics. This part of the world will represent [more than] half of the global growth [this year].

We have intensified our relationship with this group of people. It is the second [EU Indo-Pacific Ministerial] Forum. We had the first one in Paris. 

I am very grateful to all of them who are coming [from] so far away, but we are not far away from the point of view of economic relations and political importance. We have to deploy our capacities in this part of the world. We have to ensure freedom of navigation – there are a lot of tensions in the region. It is going to be an important discussion. 

I am happy to have this second Forum, and I hope that Minister Kuleba will also have the opportunity to address this important group of states. 

Q&A 

Q. High Representative, on Ukraine, if the European Union needs to speed up the delivery of ammunition, how can it do that? Does that mean that some Member States need to dig more deeply into their stockpiles, as part of ‘Track 1’? Are you getting enough, as much as you expected from that Track? 

We are getting, but we have to speed [it] up. We are pushing. You know, the stocks have to be emptied, and refilled. We need to ensure our armies that, if they provide ammunition to Ukraine, we will be able to refill their stocks with new production. It is a cycle - in and out. That is what we are doing with ‘Track 1’, with ‘Track 2’. I am sure that the call with Minister Kuleba will be transmitted to the capitals by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs. I asked all of them to send this message to the Ministers of Defence. The flow continues. I am sure that it will increase because we have the financial capacities. It is not a matter of financing, it is a matter of logistics. But you know, war is logistics. Today, if we do not supply ammunition to Ukraine, Ukraine cannot defend itself. We will speed up. 

Q. The German government just announced a very high military package, the biggest package. Did this play a role? What is your response to that? Does it come timely now? 

That is very good news. Yes, the Germans have announced an important package and others have to do [the same]. This is part of our support. The German Ministers [of Foreign Affairs, Annalena Baerbock] was talking with Mr Kuleba. But we need specific capacities: when we talk about this war, we need to talk about the range of the ammunitions because the Russians are bombing from far away, so the Ukrainians have to have the capacity to reach the same distance, the same range. Not any kind of ammunition is useful to them. So, I welcome the German effort and invite all Member States to follow this example. 

Q. Is there any indication that other Member States will follow the example? Did you hear any new promise from other Member States? Do you have any indication that others will follow the German example? 

They are following, and they are not following the German example. Every day, all Member States are providing [ammunition]. Every day everybody is doing what they can do. If Germany can do more, good. But do not believe that the others are not doing [anything] - certainly not.  

Q. What about membership negotiations for Ukraine? 

We have not talked about it. 

Q. What is your message to Indo-Pacific countries regarding Ukraine? And are you coordinating with the United States? 

The message is clear: there is a war of aggression. Someone has aggressed its neighbour. It is an invasion; it is a violation of the United Nations Charter. There is nothing that justifies this war. It is the existence of an independent and sovereign country which is at stake. I am sure it will be a good occasion for Ukraine to explain [the situation] to the Indo-Pacific region. 

Link to the video: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/video/I-241131