In this handout photograph taken and released by Ukrainian Defence Ministry on October 1, 2023 Ukraine’s Defence Minister Rustem Umerov (2nd-R) attends a meeting with European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell (2nd-L) in Kiv. (Photo by AFP)

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has promised sustained EU support for Ukraine amid the war with Russia.

Ukraine needs more capabilities, needs them faster, Borrell said in a statement posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, adding that Russia’s war in Ukraine is an existential threat to Europe.

We are preparing long-term security commitments for Ukraine, he added.

The EU chief made the remarks after his first in-person meeting with Ukraine’s Defence Minister Rustem Umerove in the Ukrainian capital Kiev, as they discussed continuous EU military assistance.

He also called on US lawmakers on Sunday to reconsider their decision to omit financial support for Ukraine from a stop-gap budget bill Congress passed to halt a federal government shutdown.

Umerov, whose appointment by President Volodymyr Zelensky received parliamentary approval on September 6, thanked Borrell in a statement on X for continuous support, saying the meeting was a starting point for the great cooperation.

According to Ukraine’s defense minister, their discussions of EU military aid to Ukraine covered artillery and ammunition, air defense, electronic warfare (EW), long-term support programs, training, and defense industry localization in Ukraine.

Borrell met with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. Together with Ukraine’s president, Josep Borrell paid tribute to the Ukrainian soldiers who died during the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

The EU has imposed more than 10 rounds of sanctions on Russia since the beginning of the Ukrainian war on February 24, 2022, with banks, companies and markets being hit, as well as parts of the sensitive energy sector, along with more than 1,000 officials subjected to asset freezes and travel bans.

The 27-nation bloc has already committed above 30 billion euros from its budget to support Ukraine.