European Union official urges G7 to step up air defense for Ukraine and expand Iran sanctions
CAPRI, Italy (AP) — The European Union’s top diplomat urged Group of Seven foreign ministers on Thursday to take quick, concrete steps to provide more 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.