Brussels, 1 December 2025 (dpa/MIA) - European Union defence ministers are to meet in Brussels on Monday to discuss support for Ukraine and improving European defence readiness.

Ukrainian Defence Minister Denys Shmyhal and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte are expected to join EU ministers for an exchange on Kiev's most pressing needs in its defence against Russia and further financial and military support.

EU ministers also plan to discuss ongoing efforts to increase the bloc's defence readiness after several initiatives were launched in recent months.

This includes a set of flagship rearmament projects proposed by the European Commission in October in the areas of border protection, drone defence, air defence and space to strengthen Europe's military capabilities and deter Russia.

The meeting comes a day after EU countries interested in receiving loans through the EU's flagship €150 billion ($174 billion) defence fund, dubbed SAFE, had to submit detailed plans on how they plan to spend the money.

Nineteen out of the bloc's 27 members initially expressed interest in participating in the funding scheme.

Last week, talks on Britain joining the fund as a non-EU country reportedly failed over disagreements on how much London should pay to participate. Similar negotiations have been held with Canada.

Photo: MIA archive