The European Union’s top diplomat urged Group of Seven foreign ministers on Thursday to take quick, concrete steps to provide mo uropean Union re air defense systems to Ukraine, warning that continued delays could tilt the war in Moscow’s favor.
Without more Patriot air defense missile systems to guard against incoming Russian strikes, “the electricity system of Ukraine will be destroyed. And no country can fight without having electricity at home, in the factories, in the front line,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned.
He was speaking on the sidelines of a G7 foreign ministers meeting on the Italian resort island of Capri, where Russia’s war in Ukraine and surging tensions in the Middle East over Iran’s unprecedented attack on Israel were topping the agenda.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken echoed Borrell’s call, saying he hoped U.S. funding for Ukraine would soon come through Congress but that other allies needed to step up.
“In this moment, all of the friends and supporters of Ukraine must maximize their efforts to provide Ukraine with what it needs to continue to effectively defend itself against this Russian aggression,” Blinken said after meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani opened the first working session by calling for new sanctions against Iran for its weekend attack and concrete help for Ukraine to defend itself from Moscow’s invasion.
“If Ukraine loses, Putin will never sit at the peace table,” Tajani warned.
