EU Foreign Affairs Council holds a \u201chistoric\u201d meeting in Kyiv. Ukraine\u2019s Army of Drones hits a record number of Russian artillery pieces last week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Monday, October 2, an EU Foreign Ministers meeting was held in Kyiv. High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, and Ukraine\u2019s Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, spoke to journalists ahead of the meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kuleba said it was a \u201chistoric event\u201d and the first time ever that EU\u2019s Foreign Affairs Council met outside of the bloc\u2019s borders, but \u201cwithin its future borders.\u201d This is a message of unfettered support that the EU is extending to Ukraine, he added. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Borrell said it was an \u201cinformal\u201d meeting because it took place outside the EU. It is considered \u201ca high-level political debate\u201d, he said, adding that it represents a clear commitment of the European Union to continue to provide all-round support to Ukraine and deter Russia\u2019s acts of aggression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe are convening a historic meeting of EU Foreign Ministers here in Ukraine, a candidate country and future member of the EU. We are here to express our solidarity and support to the Ukrainian people,\u201d Borrell said on X, formerly Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All 27 EU member states have dispatched officials to the meeting in Kyiv. According to DPA, in advance, Borrell had suggested that one topic for the EU meeting should be making longer-term financial pledges for military aid to Ukraine and also supporting the supply of modern fighter jets and missiles with EU funds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Earlier Borrell said that the EU is weighing a new multi-annual program of support to Ukraine to allocate up to EUR five billion every year between 2024 and 2027.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On September 19, Borrell announced an EU Foreign Ministers meeting in Kyiv. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
On September 30, Borrell made an unannounced visit to Odesa. On October 1, he arrived in Kyiv where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. He took part in a ceremony honoring veterans, service members, and fallen soldiers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ukraine\u2019s \u201cArmy of Drones\u201d hit a record number of Russian artillery pieces last week, Ukraine\u2019s Vice Prime Minister for Innovation in Education, Science and Technology, and Minister of Digital Transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cArmy of Drones struck a record number of Russian artillery pieces [last week]. Here\u2019s a weekly summary,\u201d Fedorov said on Telegram. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe Russians lost 69 howitzers and 17 self-propelled artillery systems. The more artillery pieces get hit, the less artillery strikes will target our military positions and near-front towns,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Drones damaged or destroyed a total of 220 pieces, including 33 tanks, 41 trucks and \u201clots of other pieces of equipment,\u201d Fedorov added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n