European Council Calls for Swift Increase in Military Support for Ukraine After Review of Victory Plan

Leaders of the European Union member states have called for increased and accelerated military support for Ukraine, in particular in terms of air defence systems, ammunition and missiles. This is stated in the conclusions of the European Council following the meeting.

‘The European Council has reviewed the work on military support to Ukraine. It calls on the Council to quickly finalise the European Peace Fund assistance measures that will further stimulate the provision of military support to Ukraine.

The European Council calls for a rapid increase in military support and the acceleration of its delivery, in particular of air defence systems, ammunition and missiles, which are urgently needed to protect the population of Ukraine and critical energy infrastructure, and underlines the importance of increasing support for Ukraine's defence industry

The European Council also reaffirms the European Union's unwavering commitment to provide further political, financial, economic, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support to Ukraine and its people for as long as it takes and as intensively as necessary. Russia must not win,’ the statement reads.

At the same time, the text emphasises in a separate paragraph that ‘military support will be provided with full respect for the security and defence policies of individual member states and taking into account the security and defence interests of all member states’.

The conclusions also emphasise that no initiative on Ukraine can be implemented without Ukraine.

The European Council believes that Russian assets should remain blocked ‘until Russia ends its aggressive war against Ukraine and compensates Ukraine for the damage caused by this war’.

The conclusions note that the EU remains ready to further restrict Russia's ability to wage war, including through further sanctions, and ‘remains committed to supporting those displaced by this war, both in Ukraine and in the European Union, including through adequate and flexible financial assistance to Member States bearing the brunt of the costs of healthcare, education and accommodation for refugees’.

On Thursday, 17 October, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented his Victory Plan to EU and NATO allies. Zelenskyy said on Thursday that the key to ending Russia's war in Ukraine in a way that will not happen again is European unity, putting pressure on Russia, and strengthening Ukraine. 

‘Russia will resort to diplomacy only when it sees that it will not achieve anything by force. We must create the right conditions for ending this war,’ Zelenskyy said during a visit to Brussels, where he addressed European Union leaders and met with NATO defence ministers.