Ukrainian drone attacks are sowing panic in Kremlin, - Kallas
Strikes by Ukrainian drones deep inside Russia are causing concern among Russian leaders.
According to Censor.NET, citing ERR, the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, told AFP.
"This clearly indicates that the Russian side is panicking: they are stepping up terrorist attacks in Ukraine because they don't know how to respond to the situation," Kallas stated.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called these attacks a just retaliation for Russia's bombing of Ukraine and threatened to continue them.
"Ukraine has indeed stepped up its precision strikes on oil facilities, because it is oil that is financing the war in Ukraine. At the same time, we see that Putin is losing money, manpower, and momentum, which is why he is intensifying his attacks on civilians," Kallas noted.
In recent days, Russia has carried out a series of massive drone and missile attacks on Ukraine, resulting in the deaths of at least 23 people on Tuesday.
"Putin is clearly escalating the terror to sow fear, and he is doing so because he is losing on the battlefield. But I believe they have not yet managed to break the Ukrainians' resistance, and I doubt they will be able to do so through these attacks," Kallas added.
New pressure on Russia
The European Union is currently preparing a new package of sanctions against Moscow to increase pressure on the Kremlin.
According to Callas, one of the main goals of the planned package is to keep Russia’s oil revenues low, despite the rise in energy prices caused by the war between the U.S., Israel, and Iran.
"We have a very clear goal: to target the military-industrial complex and financial institutions so they cannot raise capital to fund this war. At the same time, we must increase our support for Ukraine so it can defend itself, because these attacks are extremely brutal," Kallas added.
As negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, mediated by the United States, have reached an impasse, calls for the EU to play a more significant role in this process have grown more frequent.
Callas reiterated her position that the EU cannot act as a neutral mediator between the two sides, given its unwavering support for Kyiv.
"It is clear that the war in Iran, the Middle East, and the Strait of Hormuz is distracting Americans, but, in my view, what is more important is that we do not yet see any willingness on Russia’s part to engage in genuine negotiations. "The most important thing is how we can get them to talk to the Ukrainians so that they make concessions that will make Europe safer," Kallas noted.
