Europe’s top five defence ministers (E5) discussed the Russia-Ukraine war, as well as their support for Ukraine, in the French capital. Officials from the EU and NATO joined them.
They agreed that there is little hope for imminent peace in Ukraine, while the country faces another brutal war winter. The EU’s task is to help to withstand the attacks and increase the costs for Russia. This month, the EU has adopted the largest sanctions listings against Russia since the war started, and more are in the works.
Catherine Vautrin, French defence minister, hosted the talks. She said the group’s aim was a stronger Europe in a stronger NATO. “As far as we’re concerned, it’s very important not to allow ourselves to be intimidated and to never become disunited.” Kaja Kallas, High Representative of the EU, announced during the talks the EU’s first Defence Readiness Report.
“Europe spends record sums on defence, but we also need to make this operationalised in a way that it also translates into real capabilities. We must continue to modernise our forces and capabilities to build a stronger Europe in a stronger NATO,” Kallas said.
Boris Pistorius, German defence minister, was blunter about Moscow. He noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to a meeting with America and Ukraine. He saw little reason for hope. “There’s no signals whatsoever that would say that Putin is looking for peace.”
The High Representative of the EU also mentioned some successful actions of the EU:
“Our crackdown on Russia’s shadow fleet has successfully stripped hundreds of illicit tankers of their flags. I want to praise France for its strong actions here. Boardings by the EU, by France, and other Member States are forcing these vessels onto longer and costlier routes. We need to do more to increase the pressure on the shadow fleet across maritime choke points,” Kallas said during her speech at the conference.
