---
title: "Kallas announces creation of high-level EU defence working group with Ukraine and Britain"
description: "Kaja Kallas announced the creation of a high-level EU defence working group that will include representatives from Ukraine, Britain, and the private sector. The group's launch is scheduled for next week."
date: 2026-09-02T02:14:08.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/kallas-creates-high-level-eu-defence-working-group-ukraine-britain
tags: [eu-defense, kaja-kallas, ukraine, britain, nato, sanctions, european-union]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Kallas announces creation of high-level EU defence working group with Ukraine and Britain

![Kaja Kallas in front of the EU logo announcing the creation of a high-level working group on EU defence with the participation of Ukraine and Britain](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/02/kallas-sozdanie-gruppy-oborony-es-ukraina-britaniya/kallas-sozdanie-gruppy-oborony-es-ukraina-britaniya-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- Kallas announced the creation of a high-level EU defence working group with the participation of Ukraine and Britain
- The specific names of the Ukrainian representatives will be announced at the launch ceremony next week
- Kallas acknowledged that Europe had not managed to close the gaps in conventional force within NATO in time
- The announcement came against the backdrop of sanctions against five representatives of Russia's military-industrial complex and a call to transfer interceptor missiles to Ukraine

Kaja Kallas, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, announced the launch of a new high-level working group on defence issues following an informal meeting of EU defence ministers in Ireland. According to her, the group will be formed next week and will include senior political and military leaders from several EU countries, as well as representatives from the United Kingdom and Ukraine. This was reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing a Ukrinform correspondent.

### Composition and format: who will join the group

Kallas emphasized that the specific names of the Ukrainian representatives who will take part in the group's work will be announced at the launch ceremony next week. The High Representative noted that significant interest in the project has been shown by various parties, including the private sector, which, in her words, is putting forward ideas for improving defence capabilities. Thus, the group will have not only a state but also an industry character, which distinguishes it from traditional mechanisms for coordinating defence policy within the EU.

### Priorities: speed and closing gaps in conventional force

Justifying the need for a new mechanism, Kallas acknowledged that Europe, despite unprecedented-scale investments in defence, had not been fast enough to fill the gaps in conventional force that had emerged within NATO. "Spending alone does not guarantee success," she stated. According to Kallas, the goal of the working group is to bring together "the brightest minds in security and defence" to develop unconventional solutions on how to accelerate the closing of these gaps and make Europe's defence "more real and effective."

### Sanctions pressure and support for Ukraine amid intensified strikes

The announcement of the defence group came against the backdrop of ongoing sanctions pressure on Russia. On August 7, EU countries agreed on new restrictions against five representatives of the Russian military-industrial complex. On the same day Kallas announced the creation of the working group, she called for interceptor missiles with an extended shelf life to be transferred to Ukraine amid intensified Russian strikes on Ukrainian territory. Earlier, Kallas had also stated her intention to summon the head of the Russian mission to the EU for clarification on a number of issues.

### Outlook: what comes next

The launch of the high-level defence working group will be one of the EU's first practical steps toward institutionalizing defence cooperation in an expanded format that goes beyond the traditional 27 member states. The inclusion of the United Kingdom and Ukraine in the group, as well as the involvement of the private sector, signal Brussels' desire to create a more flexible and operational decision-making mechanism in the security sphere. The final composition of participants and the group's specific mandates will be presented at the launch ceremony next week.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Ukraine to play an important role in the new EU defence group](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/ukrayina-otrimae-vazhlivu-rol-noviy-oboronniy-1788315073.html) - Подтверждает основной факт: создание рабочей группы высокого уровня по обороне с участием Украины и Британии, заявление Каллас по итогам встречи в Ирландии.
- [Kallas promises new EU sanctions after Russian strikes on Kyiv](https://rus.delfi.lv/57862/v-mire/120124972/kallas-poobeshchala-novye-sankcii-es-posle-udarov-rf-po-kievu) - Подтверждает контекст санкционного давления и реакцию ЕС на российские атаки.
- [Kallas announces sanctions against five individuals linked to Russia's military-industrial complex](https://news.mail.ru/politics/71911888/) - Подтверждает факт согласования санкций против пяти представителей ОПК России 7 августа.
- [Kallas states intention to summon the head of the Russian mission to the EU](https://news.mail.ru/politics/71754765/) - Подтверждает факт согласования санкций против пяти представителей ОПК России 7 августа.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: When will the high-level EU defence working group be launched?
**A:** Kaja Kallas stated that the group will be created next week, following an informal meeting of EU defence ministers in Ireland. The specific names of the participants, including Ukrainian representatives, will be announced at the launch ceremony.

### Q: Who will be part of the new defence group?
**A:** The group will include senior political and military leaders from several EU countries, as well as representatives from the United Kingdom and Ukraine. Kallas also noted interest from the private sector, which is putting forward ideas for improving defence capabilities.

### Q: What tasks have been set for the working group?
**A:** According to Kallas, the group's goal is to bring together leading experts in security and defence to develop unconventional solutions for accelerating the closing of gaps in Europe's conventional force within NATO and for improving the effectiveness of defence policy.

### Q: What EU sanctions against Russia are currently in place?
**A:** On August 7, EU countries agreed on new restrictions against five representatives of the Russian military-industrial complex. Kallas also called for interceptor missiles with an extended shelf life to be transferred to Ukraine amid intensified Russian strikes.