(L-R) Yuriko Backes, Luxembourg’s Minister of Defence; Kaja Kallas, Vice-President of the European Commission; Credit: MAE

On Monday 1 December 2025, Luxembourg's Minister of Defence, Yuriko Backes, participated in the EU "Defence" Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) in Brussels, Belgium.

As reported by Luxembourg's Directorate of Defence, the first session of the FAC, opened by an address from Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and attended by NATO Deputy Secretary General Radmila Šekerinska, focused on strengthening the European Union’s military support for Ukraine. Discussions addressed the need to continue military assistance for Ukraine and to reinforce defence-industrial cooperation between the EU and Ukraine.

In the context of recent negotiations on a possible peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia, it was reiterated that nothing can be negotiated without Ukraine’s involvement throughout the process and that the European Union must be closely associated with the negotiations. Ukraine will need strong security guarantees and the means to defend itself against any future aggression.

Building on these discussions, Minister Backes underlined Luxembourg’s ongoing commitment to supporting Ukraine: “Luxembourg remains in solidarity with Ukraine and will support the country for as long as necessary. Luxembourg has therefore decided on an additional contribution of 15 million to Ukraine.” This new €15 million contribution will be allocated to the “PURL” (Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List) initiative, bringing Luxembourg’s total contribution to this mechanism to €30 million and its military support for Ukraine in 2025 to €155 million. According to the Directorate of Defence, Luxembourg’s total military assistance to Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February 2022 now amounts to €414 million.

During the second session of the FAC, ministers discussed work launched in preparation for defence planning towards 2030. The need to address capability gaps was underlined, and an update was given on the various capability coalitions.

Minister Backes highlighted the importance of close cooperation between the EU and NATO as well as strong support for small and medium-sized enterprises. She also welcomed recent European Commission initiatives on military mobility, noting that EU work will need to be carried out in close coordination with NATO.

On the margins of the FAC, Minister Backes held a bilateral meeting with her Slovenian counterpart, Borut Sajovic. During this meeting, the two ministers signed a letter of intent on cooperation in the field of space. This letter of intent aims to provide a framework for developing bilateral cooperation in several key areas, such as satellite communications, earth observation and space situational awareness.

Following the FAC, Minister Backes participated in the Steering Board meeting of the European Defence Agency (EDA). The Directorate of Defence stated that in order to strengthen the role of the EDA, ministers approved the general budget for 2026, which was increased by 34.5% compared with 2025.

Minister Backes reiterated Luxembourg’s support for the EDA: “The Agency must adapt to the context in which it operates and maximise its effectiveness in supporting Member States in achieving their capability objectives.”