Informal EU Chiefs of Defence meeting to discuss enhanced support for AU air defence

The European Union member States met informally on 1 September, longer than local time, to focus on military support for Ukraine, the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and the situation in the Middle East. Following the meeting of the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Mr. Karas, the Minister of Defence of Ukraine reiterated that air defence remained one of the most pressing needs of the Ukrainian side, but that there had been no substantial progress in the discussions among the Defence Ministers of the member States in that regard. According to Karas, the EU is looking for additional sources of anti-aircraft equipment and interceptors, and calls upon member States to reassess their national stockpiles and could consider providing or selling to Ukraine the expired “patriotic” anti-aircraft interceptors。