On Monday, 18 March, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba took part in a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council.

The Minister called on European partners to take all necessary decisions as soon as possible with the aim  to increase and accelerate the supply of weapons and ammunition to the Ukrainian military, as well as to develop the defence industries of the European Union and Ukraine.

A meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council, attended by the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, took the final decision to allocate an additional €5 billion for military support to Ukraine under the European Peace Fund. The Minister expressed his gratitude to his colleagues for this such an important step.

Dmytro Kuleba also thanked the Czech Republic for its timely initiative to purchase artillery ammunition for Ukraine and all EU member states that have already contributed to its implementation.

"I urge those who are still considering making contributions to do so as soon as possible. This applies not only to the Czech initiative, but also to several other similar initiatives. Every day matters," the Minister said.

The Ukrainian Foreign Minister stressed that Russia's threats against NATO and EU members show that the Russian dictator is seeking to expand its aggression. Supporting Ukraine is the only way to prevent these plans. 

Dmytro Kuleba emphasised that Ukrainian soldiers are now the only line of European defence against aggressive Putin's Russia, which seeks to destroy Europe and the normal life of millions of Europeans.