On 29 December, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba held a telephone conversation with Josep Borrell, EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, while being in the bomb shelter of the Foreign Ministry during the air-raid alarm. 

During the conversation, the parties "agreed to step up our joint efforts to deliver additional air defence systems to Ukraine," the Foreign Minister said on Twitter (X).

The minister also noted that the key defence priorities of Kyiv for 2024 is "to accelerate artillery ammunition delivery and remove all barriers to ramping up European defence industries."

"Josep informed me EU is taking steps to expedite the delivery of the promised number of artillery rounds and to facilitate the rapid development of EU defence industries," Kuleba added.

In addition, the parties discussed the upcoming EU summit on 1 February, where it is expected that the block will allocate €50 billion for Ukraine for four years.

"In this regard, I informed HR/VP that the Ukrainian government today approved the reform plan required for the launch of the Ukraine Facility," the Ukrainian Foreign Minister added.

On the night of 28-29 December, Russia launched a large-scale attack on Ukraine. Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Odesa, Lviv, Zaporizhzhia and other cities were hit. According to the latest reports, at least 26 people were killed, and 120 others were injured.

Earlier, Josep Borrell, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, also condemned Russia's latest missile attack on Ukraine.