The bloc’s foreign policy chief has condemned the Russian shelling of Ukrainian cities, saying more support is on the way
Ukrainian soldiers ride on a Polish Krab self-propelled howitzer on October 08, 2022 in Rubtsi, Ukraine. © Carl Court/Getty Images
The EU will provide Kiev with more military support, Josep Borrell, the bloc’s high representative for foreign affairs, has said. He made the pledge following a massive wave of Russian missile strikes across Ukraine on Monday morning.
“We stand with Ukraine. Additional military support from the EU is on its way,” Borrell tweeted, adding that he was “shocked by Russia’s attacks on civilians in Kyiv and other cities,” while condemning them “in the strongest possible terms.”
Moscow has repeatedly warned the EU against sending weapons to Kiev, saying it will only prolong the conflict and lead to more casualties.
According to Russian media reports, the blasts in Kiev prompted EU countries to evacuate their embassy staffs. European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders tweeted that he and his staff were “quickly moved to the basement of the hotel” during the strikes.
Meanwhile, the US Embassy in Kiev issued a statement saying Russia’s continued strikes in Ukraine “pose a direct threat to civilians and civilian infrastructure” and urged US citizens to shelter in place and “depart Ukraine now using privately available ground transportation options when it is safe to do so.”
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said he will make a statement on the “terrorist attacks by Russia” at an emergency G7 summit, which Germany, the current holder of the forum’s presidency, agreed to call.
The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that its forces carried out multiple strikes “on objects of military command and control systems, communications and energy of Ukraine” on Monday. Apart from Kiev, Lviv, Kharkov, Odessa, and other cities were targeted, according to the local authorities’ reports.
The strikes come two days after the Crimean Bridge was damaged by a truck bomb, which Moscow has called a Ukrainian terrorist attack.
