Longer range, shorter war: Ukraine's MFA urges EU ministers to provide more weapons

The Minister of Foreign Affairs called the attention of EU ministers to the escalation of Russia's aerial terrorism and urged them to increase and expedite military support to our state.

"Strengthening air defense remains a priority. Patriots, NASAMS, IRIS-T, and SAMP-T are abbreviations that save entire cities and thousands of lives. I also call for the acceleration of the supply of artillery shells, drones of all types, and long-range missiles with a radius of 300+ kilometers. The more ammunition, the fewer losses; the longer the range, the shorter the war," said Kuleba.

In addition, the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reminded of the need to create a common space for European defense industries and a European defense hub in Ukraine.

These actions are initiated as part of the critical update of the aid program, as there are countries blocking funding of 50 billion euros.

Blocking 50 billion euros from the EU for Ukraine

In mid-December 2023, at the summit of EU leaders, Hungary blocked the decision to allocate 50 billion euros to Ukraine for the years 2024-2027.

Now the issue of aid to Ukraine will be considered at the EU summit on February 1. At the same time, the Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orban, threatens to block it. Budapest demands from the EU in exchange for approving the package.

Against this background, the European Parliament initiated the collection of signatures under a petition to deprive Hungary of the right to vote in the EU Council, and the necessary number of signatures has already been collected.

More details on how the EU is negotiating with Ukraine and whether Orban will be deprived of the right to veto - read in RBC-Ukraine's material.