[EU official: The EU needs to send more forces to the Red Sea escort operation] September 29th, the EU Defense Ministers’ Meeting was held in Brussels, Belgium, on September 28th local time. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Karas said after the meeting that the Strait of Hormuz, Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Black Sea are all important sea lanes, and the EU needs to send more forces to Red Sea escort operations to strengthen maritime security. Regarding the Russia-Ukraine conflict, some member states have called for the early disbursement of the EU's aid loan to Ukraine that was originally planned to be disbursed in 2027 to cope with the funding gap currently facing Ukraine. In April, the EU officially approved a 90 billion euro loan to Ukraine, providing financial and military support to Ukraine from 2026 to 2027. Russia has previously stated that if European countries advocate a peaceful solution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, they should stop military support for Ukraine.