EU has summoned Russian chargé d’affaires over new threats from Russia to strike Kyiv
The European Union summoned the Russian chargé d'affaires following the latest Russian attack on Kyiv and new statements from Moscow regarding the possibility of regular, large-scale strikes.
This was announced on Tuesday in Brussels at a press briefing by Anitta Hipper, the European Commission’s spokesperson for foreign affairs, according to Censor.NET, citing "Interfax-Ukraine".
Russia is not interested in peace
"We have just summoned the Russian chargé d'affaires and conveyed our message that this is unacceptable. This demonstrates once again—in fact—one thing we already knew: that Russia has absolutely no interest in any kind of peace and is completely ignoring all efforts aimed at achieving peace," she said.
Hipper confirmed that the EU, for its part, will provide support to Ukraine, which "needs air defense capabilities and further financial support."
Increased pressure on Russia
"We will also be holding an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Cyprus in the coming days, where we will once again discuss with the High Representative the need to step up international pressure on Russia," the spokesperson announced.
Threats of new strikes
Commenting on recent warnings from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding further systematic attacks on Kyiv and calls for Western countries to withdraw their diplomatic missions from Kyiv, Hipper expressed her conviction that, through these threats, "Russia is merely trying to sow panic." "They want fear and isolation in Ukraine and elsewhere, but we (to Russia—Ed.) have a clear message: it won’t work. The EU is maintaining its presence and operations in Kyiv. These threats reek of desperation," she emphasized.
Hipper also pointed to a post by EU High Representative Kaja Kallas, in which she noted that "Russia is losing on the battlefield, so now it is once again resorting to threats against the civilian population and civilian infrastructure."
"These attacks, unfortunately, are a daily reality for Ukraine, for Kyiv and its citizens, and in fact, our delegation on the ground, as well as the headquarters of our civilian mission, have been hit as a result of these reckless attacks. We reiterate that any deliberate international attacks on the civilian population and non-military objects constitute war crimes. All commanders, perpetrators, and accomplices of these serious violations of international humanitarian law will be held accountable," the EC spokesperson assured.
What happened before?
- As a reminder, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced yesterday that it was planning new strikes on Kyiv and urged foreigners and diplomats to leave the Ukrainian capital.
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The report claims that "facilities involved in the design, production, programming, and preparation for the deployment of UAVs used by the 'Kyiv regime' with the assistance of NATO specialists" will be targeted.
- Russia claims that the shelling of Kyiv is allegedly in response to an attack on a college and a dormitory in Starobilsk, Luhansk region, on May 22. Putin stated that six people were killed in the attack, and another 15, according to him, are missing.
- On the evening of May 25, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke by phone with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and voiced new threats regarding Russia’s "systematic strikes" on Kyiv.
