Denys Shmyhal at a meeting with the EU leadership: Ukraine needs more weapons to win, not just to deter
Іn Kyiv, 1 December, Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal met with President of the European Council António Costa, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas and Commissioner for Enlargement Martha Kos.
"This first visit on the first day in my new position is a gesture of unwavering support and solidarity of the EU leadership with our country in the fight against russian tyranny," said Denys Shmyhal.
The Prime Minister noted that a key component of Ukraine's resilience is consistent and timely financial assistance from partners. He thanked the EU for the Ukraine Facility initiative, noting that Ukraine continues to fulfil its obligations.
"We are also grateful for the willingness to assume a part of the USD 50 billion of G7 funds from the frozen russian assets. We expect that the first tranche will be disbursed in early January 2025," the Prime Minister said.
Denys Shmyhal stressed that Ukraine needs more weapons to win, not just to deter. Therefore, the issue of defence support was an important topic of discussion.
"Ukraine has significantly increased the capacity of its defence industry. We need to ensure the necessary investments, in particular, following the example of the Danish model, to continue building up Ukraine's defence capabilities," the Prime Minister stressed.
Among other things, the parties addressed important details of the 15th package of EU sanctions. According to Denys Shmyhal, Ukraine expects that all sovereign assets of the russian federation in the EU will be confiscated, and the sanctions pressure on the aggressor will further tighten. Such decisions, he said, will signal to russia and the rest of the world that the allies are clearly committed to the victory of our country.
The meeting participants also focused on further steps towards European integration. In particular, the first negotiation clusters are scheduled to open in early 2025. The parties discussed Ukraine's integration into the EU's internal market at the negotiation stage. In particular, the issue of trade liberalisation with the EU.
"Our goal for the period before Ukraine's accession to the EU is to liberalise trade to the fullest extent possible at a level not less than the current autonomous trade preferences. Also, the ACAA and the internal market regime for roaming services should become pilot projects for the full legal integration of Ukraine in the industrial and telecommunications sectors," the Prime Minister summed up.