EU vows financial, military support for Ukraine

From America, let's head to Europe. European Union leaders have vowed to continue financial and military support for Ukraine and reaffirmed their commitment to advancing its EU accession process as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky joined the second day of an EU summit there. while EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas also called for stronger support for Ukraine ahead of winter season while acknowledging Europe's dependence on US military technology. Listen in. Heard him. So the situation is really grave. We need to support Ukraine also to get through the winter because the winter is going to be harsh. We don't see any signs from Russia that they want to stop this war or they are into any kind of truce or peace. EU leaders grappled Friday with how to tackle Ukraine's dependence on Starlink satellite communications, supporting its battlefield operations as Kyiv was rocked by disruptions to the U.S.-owned system. The bloc's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said Europe did not have a readily available alternative to technology controlled by Elon Musk's SpaceX as she arrived at an EU summit where the issue would be high on the agenda. Yes, well, Starlink is really necessary for Ukraine, And unfortunately, in short term, Europe can't replace this capability. That's why we have also today a discussion about the defense readiness. I mean, we have the European Defense Agency that actually mapped all the critical capabilities and elaborates that we are missing, that we have to fulfill. Ukraine, remember, uses Starshield, which is Starlink's military-grade satellite service for its battlefield communications. mid-range strikes on Russian-occupied territory and interceptor drones. It also uses SpaceX's parallel Starlink civilian satellite system, but not for offensive operations. Elon Musk has shifted his stance on Ukraine several times since Russia's attack in 2022. Kiev reported restrictions on its use of the Starlink system this week. Musk said that any disruption was the responsibility of the American government, not his SpaceX firm. Meanwhile, Zelensky was taking part in the leaders' talks with Ukraine and Europe's own security and defense was on the agenda. The latest to join the bandwagon of support for Ukraine is the new Hungarian Prime Minister, Péter Magyar, who met with the Ukrainian President. I believe this is a very positive sign. We are moving toward the EU and making progress in our relations with Hungary. We've had a very good meeting. We discussed a lot of things, including our bilateral relations, the economy, and logistics, all of which are important between our two countries. Since Hungary's pro-EU conservative leader took office in May, both countries have tried to mend ties that were tense under Magyar's Kremlin-friendly predecessor, Viktor Orban. Their meeting comes days after Kiev passed legislation addressing Budapest's long-standing concerns over the rights of the ethnic Hungarian minority in western Ukraine. As winter approaches, communication systems are proving to be vital for Ukraine. Speeds were slower on the system on Wednesday, affecting connectivity. According to Ukrainian officials who have suggested Washington was behind slower speeds reported on some Starlink internet terminals. British Defence Minister Wes Streeting also said he discussed Starlink with his US counterpart Pete Hegseth. The outcome of their discussions has not been published. Let's now talk to William Denslow. He's a correspondent. He's live in Brussels. Denslow, it's good to see you. What is on the agenda? I do understand that Starlink was discussed today, but what else was discussed in the EU's Ukraine summit? Well, we've heard, as you mentioned earlier, from European leaders. We've heard from Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, who said that support will be unwavering. Now, at a time when the United States is brokering energy-related deals with Moscow, von der Leyen says that no such agreement, no such easing of pressure on the Kremlin will be in store as far as Europe is concerned. In fact, they're working on a 22nd sanctions package on Russia. This announcement comes just days after another major listing of people added on the EU's sanctions list. So the EU, as far as they are concerned, are looking to ramp up the pressure on Moscow. Their message is unanimous, that any kind of relief, any kind of financial dealings for Moscow directly contributes to Russia's war machine. That is something they are very much seeking to address and put an end to. Volodymyr Zelensky, for his part, has called on the EU to provide more financial backing. He says there's a roughly nearly $80 billion shortfall for their finances next year, especially faced with a lack of air defence systems and their ability to create drones. That is why he is calling on European leaders to step up. William Denslow is our correspondent. He is live in Brussels. William, thank you.