Wicklow, September 2, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The European Union will continue to strengthen its support for Ukraine while stepping up investment in its own defence capabilities, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said in Wicklow, Ireland.
Speaking at a press conference following the informal meeting of EU Defence Ministers on Tuesday, Kallas said the bloc was providing strong assistance to Ukraine through the Ukraine Support Loan.
“The EU continues to provide strong support to Ukraine through the Ukraine Support Loan,” Kallas said, adding that the EU had already disbursed 8.37 billion euros ($9.7 billion) in defence assistance to Ukraine, with further support expected.
Discussing the future of the EU’s Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine (EUMAM Ukraine), Irish Defence Minister Helen McEntee said Ireland would contribute 10 million euros ($11.6 million) to the mission. The contribution forms part of a broader 125-million-euro ($145 million) support package for Ukraine announced by Ireland in July.
The informal meeting, held in Wicklow on Monday and Tuesday, was organised as part of Ireland’s current presidency of the Council of the EU. It brought together defence ministers for strategic discussions rather than formal decision-making.
The agenda covered continued European support for Ukraine, space and maritime security, and the situation in Lebanon.
Meanwhile, the conflict continued to see developments on the battlefield. Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed that Russian forces had captured the settlements of Chervonaya Krinitsa and Novopavlovka in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region and intercepted 1,050 Ukrainian drones within a 24-hour period.
On the Ukrainian side, Prime Minister Sergii Koretskyi said the government was considering tighter control over budget expenditure amid high defence requirements.
“The government is introducing a strict austerity regime for budget funds not allocated for defence needs,” Koretskyi told Parliament.
He said the government had identified savings of 70 billion hryvnias (around $1.57 billion), which would be redirected entirely towards defence.
Ukrainian Parliament amended the 2026 budget in June, raising security and defence expenditure to 4.4 trillion hryvnias (around $98.8 billion), according to local media reports.
FOLLOW NOW
