EUROPEAN Union leaders called on Thursday for even more military assistance to Ukraine, and reaffirmed their desire for it to be admitted to the bloc.

At a summit in Brussels, the leaders said it was important to deliver more “air defence and anti-drone systems, and large-calibre ammunition, to help Ukraine, as it exercises its inherent right to self-defence, to protect its citizens and territory against Russia’s intensified daily attacks.”

They also called for support for Ukraine’s military industry, which can make weapons and ammunition more quickly and cheaply than its European counterparts. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky took part in the meeting via video link.

The Ukrainian army has relied heavily on drones, but Russian forces have made steady gains along the roughly 620-mile front line.

US-led initiatives aimed at brokering a peace have achieved little. As hostilities have ground on, the two sides have continued to swap prisoners of war.

The EU leaders said the bloc “remains steadfast in its support for Ukraine’s path towards EU membership.”

That message came the day after Nato leaders refrained from any a reference to Ukraine’s hopes of joining the alliance in their summit statement, because of US resistance.

The EU is working on yet another raft of sanctions against Russia, but the leaders made little headway on the issue. 

The bloc has slapped several rounds of sanctions on Moscow since it invaded Ukraine on February 24 2022. More than 2,400 officials, government agencies, banks and organisations have been hit.

On Wednesday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban told the summit that "Nato has no business in Ukraine. Ukraine is not a member of Nato, nor is Russia. My job is to keep it as it is.”