EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has warned that Ukraine faces a “really grave” situation as winter approaches, urging European countries to rapidly increase military and financial support for Kyiv.
Speaking on arrival at a European Council meeting on October 16, Kallas said Russia had shown no sign of pursuing a truce or peace agreement.
“We need to support Ukraine also to get through the winter because the winter is going to be harsh,” she said, stressing that Ukraine urgently needs air-defence systems to protect its people and infrastructure.
Kallas said the European Union was preparing a new package of sanctions aimed at increasing pressure on Moscow. The bloc introduced 1,600 new listings earlier in the week, she added, and hopes to coordinate further action with partners around the world.
Asked how the EU could finance additional support amid economic pressure and negotiations over its next long-term budget, Kallas pointed to Russian assets frozen under sanctions. She said EU member states had agreed not to return the funds unless Russia pays reparations to Ukraine.
“Ukraine needs this money right now,” Kallas said, calling for solidarity mechanisms that would allow member states to share the financial risks of using the frozen assets to support Kyiv.
She also acknowledged growing difficulties between Europe and the United States over how to end the war.
Kallas said European governments were urging Washington to maintain pressure on Russia and to ensure that any peace agreement includes concessions from Moscow.
On Ukraine’s reliance on Starlink satellite communications, Kallas said Europe could not replace the system in the short term. She said the EU was mapping critical defence capabilities it currently lacks and must move quickly to close those gaps.
“We need to do this as soon as possible because we need the capabilities ourselves,” she said.