Security guarantees for Ukraine must be credible and resilient, said EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on Friday 29 August after informal talks between EU foreign ministers. Most member states support a possible extension of the EU military mission to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire. Ministers also discussed the EU’s defence readiness.
In the beginning of the meeting, EU ministers were joined by their Ukrainian counterpart Denys Shmyhal via videoconference. “I welcome the broad support for extending the mandate of the EU military mission to provide training and advice on Ukrainian territory after a ceasefire is reached,” Kallas said after the meeting.
Hungary as a problem of unity
However, the military mission could only be extended to Ukraine with an unanimous consent of all 27 EU member states. It is the Hungary’s position, which has tense relations with Ukraine and maintains lively contacts with Russia, which has undermined European unity over the past months. Budapest did not even support Friday’s Statement by the High Representative on the latest Russian attacks against Ukraine that labels intentional attacks against civilians ’war crimes’.
Ms Kallas also said that member states agreed on the importance of security guarantees. The issue of Ukraine’s security is currently being discussed mainly in the so-called Coalition of the Willing. The Coalition brings together states actively supporting Ukraine.
New sanctions against Russia under way
The ministers also discussed the EU’s defence capabilities and its military missions and operations abroad. They talked about the future EU’s Multiannual Financial Framework (2028–2034), which takes into account the Union’s new priorities, including defence.
The attacks on Kyiv show that Putin is simply mocking any peace efforts. – Kaja Kallas, EU foreign policy chief
“Yesterday (Thursday 28 August), we saw another major attack on Kyiv, which also hit the EU mission. These attacks show that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is simply mocking any peace efforts,” Ms Kallas told reporters before the start of the meeting. According to today’s statement by local authorities, the Thursday’s missile and drone attack on the Ukrainian capital claimed 23 lives.
In connection with increasing pressure on Russia, EU foreign policy chief spoke about work on the nineteenth package of sanctions against Moscow. The EU is supposed to present it in the coming days. The new sanctions could again affect the energy sector, but also financial services, noted Ms Kallas.
