Brussels, Oct. 16 (LaPresse) – “The situation is really serious. We must support Ukraine, including by helping it get through the winter, which is expected to be harsh.” EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas said this upon arriving at the European Council. “We see no sign from Russia that it intends to end this conflict, nor any indication of openness to a ceasefire or peace. That is why it is essential to help Ukrainians survive and defend their country. They certainly need air defense systems; that is beyond question. We must also assess what more we can do to make Russia clearly understand that it needs to negotiate to end the war,” she added. Kallas recalled that “on Monday, we added 1,600 new names to the sanctions lists, and we are working on a new package of restrictive measures to put further pressure on Russia. Naturally, we hope to act in coordination with all our partners around the world.” She then took aim at the United States: “We are also trying to convince our American partners that, if we want to end this conflict, we must exert strong pressure on the aggressor. The goal is not only to end this war, but also to ensure that Russia does not start any more wars in the future. For this reason, together with the foreign ministers, I have prepared a list of demands — a list of issues concerning European security — to present to Russia. The idea is not to grant Russia what it wants without obtaining concessions in return. Of course, we must acknowledge that, at the moment, dialogue with our American allies is proving rather difficult.” Finally, Kallas concluded: “Starlink is truly indispensable for Ukraine and, unfortunately, Europe is unable to replace this capability in the short term. This is also why defense readiness is being discussed today. The European Defence Agency has mapped all the critical capabilities we lack and need to acquire. Now it is a matter of moving on to implementation: we must do so as soon as possible, because we need these capabilities ourselves as well.”
Ukraine, Kallas: “Situation is serious, support for Kyiv to get through winter. Dialogue with US is difficult”
Brussels, Oct. 16 (LaPresse) – “The situation is really serious. We must support Ukraine, including by helping it get through the winter, which is expected to be harsh.” EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas said this upon arriving at the European Council. “We see no sign from Russia that it intends to end this conflict, nor any indication of openness to a ceasefire or peace. That is why it is essential to help Ukrainians survive and defend their country. They certainly need air defense systems; that is beyond question. We must also assess what more we can do to make Russia clearly understand that it needs to negotiate to end the war,” she added. Kallas recalled that “on Monday, we added 1,600 new names to the sanctions lists, and we are working on a new package of restrictive measures to put further pressure on Russia. Naturally, we hope to act in coordination with all our partners around the world.” She then took aim at the United States: “We are also trying to convince our American partners that, if we want to end this conflict, we must exert strong pressure on the aggressor. The goal is not only to end this war, but also to ensure that Russia does not start any more wars in the future. For this reason, together with the foreign ministers, I have prepared a list of demands — a list of issues concerning European security — to present to Russia. The idea is not to grant Russia what it wants without obtaining concessions in return. Of course, we must acknowledge that, at the moment, dialogue with our American allies is proving rather difficult.” Finally, Kallas concluded: “Starlink is truly indispensable for Ukraine and, unfortunately, Europe is unable to replace this capability in the short term. This is also why defense readiness is being discussed today. The European Defence Agency has mapped all the critical capabilities we lack and need to acquire. Now it is a matter of moving on to implementation: we must do so as soon as possible, because we need these capabilities ourselves as well.”