France, Sept. 1 -- Defence ministers are meeting in County Wicklow, south of Dublin, on Tuesday, followed by talks between EU foreign ministers on Wednesday, with Ukraine's new acting defence minister Yevgeniy Khmara expected to take part in the discussions.

The meeting comes as Moscow steps up air attacks on Ukraine, taking advantage of shortages in the US-built interceptor missiles Kyiv relies on to defend cities and critical infrastructure. Ukraine, meanwhile, has continued to strike back with long-range attacks against Russian energy and military facilities.

"The Russian attacks on the Ukrainians are getting harsher and harsher," an EU official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Yet ministers are likely to face familiar cons...