European leaders and officials have strongly condemned a wave of Russian missile and drone attacks across Ukraine, describing them as deliberate targeting of civilians and a further escalation of the war, while reaffirming continued military and political support for Kiev.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Sunday that the attacks reflect “brutality and disregard for human life and peace negotiations,” adding that additional European support for Ukraine’s air defense systems is being prepared, Anadolu reports.
– Terror against civilians is not strength. It’s despair – she said via the US-based social network X.
European foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the attacks showed Russia’s turn to what she described as “terrorist tactics” against urban centers, arguing that military failures on the frontline were leading to increased attacks on civilian areas.
– These are heinous acts of terror aimed at killing as many civilians as possible. Next week, EU foreign ministers will discuss how to increase international pressure on Russia – she wrote on Xu.
– France condemns this attack and the use of the Oresnik ballistic missile, which above all shows a kind of sloppiness and impasse of Russia’s war of aggression – French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on Xu, expressing support for Ukraine.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Berlin “strongly condemns” what he called the reckless escalation, reiterating that Germany remains firmly committed to the sovereignty and defense of Ukraine.
– I strongly condemn Russia’s massive and indiscriminate missile and drone attacks on Kiev and other Ukrainian cities last night. Deliberately targeting civilians is a war crime – said the Irish Minister of Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee, expressing solidarity with the victims and their families.
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said the attacks did not show Moscow’s readiness for peace, stressing that civilian areas had again been directly hit.
– There is no justification for attacks that terrorize the entire population. Belgium strongly condemns these attacks – he said, expressing support for Ukraine.
The statements followed reports by Ukrainian authorities of widespread missile and drone attacks in multiple regions, including Kyiv and surrounding areas.
Ukrainian officials announced that residential buildings, infrastructure and government facilities were damaged and that there were casualties.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had launched about 90 missiles and approximately 600 drones in the latest wave of attacks, causing injuries and deaths, although the full toll is still being determined.
Russia, on the other hand, said it carried out what it called a “major retaliatory strike” targeting Ukrainian military and defense-industrial facilities, claiming that the operation involved multiple types of missiles and drones and that it had achieved its objectives.
The Russian Defense Ministry said the strikes were carried out in response to Ukrainian attacks on Russian-controlled territories earlier in the week, including an incident in the Luhansk region.
(Vijesti.ba / FENA)
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