KYIV, Jan 22 – Ukraine hopes steps will be made in the first half of 2024 to open EU accession talks, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said. He also urged the West to confiscate Russian assets to speed up military support for Ukraine, the Foreign Ministry reported.

"Strengthening the air defense remains a priority. Patriot, NASAMS, IRIS-T and SAMP-T are the abbreviations that save entire cities and thousands of human lives. I also urge you to speed up the supply of artillery shells, drones of all types and long-range missiles with a range of 300 kilometers and more. The more shells [Ukraine receives], the fewer losses [it sustains]; the longer the range [of missiles is], the shorter the war [will be]," he said in his speech at the EU Foreign Affairs Council.