She was in Kyiv on Europe Day to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who praised the European efforts but said Russia had used delays to gain momentum on the battlefield.
"We are painfully aware that Ukraine urgently needs more equipment and air-defence systems to defend itself against the aggressor," Metsola said.
Ukrainian officials and soldiers have repeatedly warned they lack ammunition to defend themselves against sustained Russian assaults as the war stretches into its third year.
"We Europeans need to deliver, we need to take responsibility, we need to intensify our support," she said.
On Wednesday, EU members states agreed to use billions of euros in profits from frozen Russian central bank assets to arm Ukraine and fund its post-war reconstruction, which Kyiv had been pushing for.
The EU had also promised to provide Ukraine with one million shells by March 2024, but fell short of that target.
"There were supplies -- and once again, thank God and thank you -- but not in the amount that was voted," Zelensky said.
Ukrainian troops would be able to stop Russia's initiative in the east as soon as the aid arrived, he said, while warning that Russia was "taking advantage" of any delay.
He also praised the increase in Ukraine's domestic production of weapons.
Zelensky and Metsola held the news conference in Kyiv as Russia celebrated its annual Victory Day marking the Soviet Union's defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.
At the end of the conference, air raid sirens sounded.
"This is (Russia's) real attitude to peace. Their real attitude to the fight against Nazism," Zelensky said.
Zelensky officially appoints ex-army chief ambassador to UK
Kyiv, Ukraine (AFP) May 9, 2024 -
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday officially appointed former commander-in-chief of the armed forces Valery Zaluzhny, 50, as ambassador to the United Kingdom.
The popular former general led the Ukrainian army from before Russia's invasion on February 24, 2022, until his dismissal by Zelensky in February, when he was replaced by Oleksandr Syrsky.
Zaluzhny was credited with spearheading some of Ukraine's most successful battles against Russia, including the liberation of Kherson city in November 2022. His celebrity was such that he even featured in street art.
Although he avoided the political spotlight, he was regularly cited as a possible rival to Zelensky given his popularity across society.
The failure of Ukraine's much-vaunted counter-offensive last year and public disagreements with Zelensky over the course of the war led to his dismissal.
Ukraine has been without an ambassador to the UK since July 2023. Zelensky sacked the then incumbent, Vadym Prystaiko, after he criticised the president's response during a row over British military aid.
Zelensky first announced he would be naming Zaluzhny as his envoy to London, a key backer of Kyiv, back in March.
On Wednesday the president officially dismissed Zaluzhny from the military on health grounds and on Thursday published a decree confirming the new appointment.
Ukrainian media reported in March that Zaluzhny had been found unfit for military service during a medical examination in winter.
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