BRUSSELS

The EU announced on Monday the first €10 million ($11 million) to set up the "Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression" against Ukraine, the bloc's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Andriy Sybiha, Kallas said the bloc will continue to ensure full backing for Ukraine in its war against Russia.

"Russia's leaders are responsible for this war. There wouldn't be any war crimes if there would not be the crime of aggression – so there would not be any atrocities either. Nobody should be left unpunished for crimes committed," she said.

She said the establishment of the tribunal follows earlier discussions held in Lviv in May with foreign ministers aimed at advancing the initiative.

Kallas said EU sanctions "have already deprived Russia of hundreds of billions of euros," stressing that the bloc is preparing new measures targeting Russia's energy, finance, and trade revenues.

"Inflation exceeds 20%, cash reserves are depleted, and growth is close to zero. Maybe time was once on Russia's side, but it is shifting to Ukraine now. Every euro we take from Russia is a euro it cannot spend on the war," she said.

Kallas said the EU will also scale up Ukraine's combat power with €2 billion for drones and expand the mandate of its civilian mission in Ukraine to cover cyber defense and veteran support.

On European security, Kallas warned that the continent faces "an extraordinary surge of hybrid attacks," calling for stronger military deterrence to prevent war.

"This week, (European Commission) President von der Leyen and I will present a roadmap for European defense," she said, adding that it will define capability objectives and milestones for key areas such as anti-drone systems and be fully aligned with NATO.