Published on
•Updated
The European Union has formally summoned the Russian envoy in Brussels in response to the Russian strike that severely damaged the bloc’s delegation in Kyiv.
“No diplomatic mission should ever be a target,” High Representative Kaja Kallas said on Thursday as she announced her decision.
The Kremlin’s chargé d’affaires to the EU is Karen Malayan.
The overnight attack, part of Moscow’s campaign of sowing terror and chaos, has killed at least 14 people and left dozens injured, causing major destruction across the city.
Two Russian missiles hit within 50 metres of the delegation in the span of 20 seconds.
“While the world seeks a path to peace, Russia responds with missiles,” Kallas said earlier on Thursday. “The overnight attack on Kyiv shows a deliberate choice to escalate and mock the peace efforts. Russia must stop the killing and negotiate.”
The Vienna Convention of 1961 foresees protection for diplomatic and consular premises against intrusion or damage, although it is not uncommon for these buildings to be impacted during wartime. The Kremlin has shown a consistent disinterest in upholding international rules throughout its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Separately, Ursula von der Leyen said she was “outraged” by the barrage and confirmed no member of the delegation had been harmed.
“This is another grim reminder of what is at stake,” the president of the European Commission said in a short statement delivered to camera.
“It shows that the Kremlin will stop at nothing to terrorise Ukraine, blindly killing civilians – men, women and children and even targeting the European Union.”
Von der Leyen promised to tighten the screws on the Russian war machine with a 19th package of EU sanctions that should be presented “soon”. In parallel, she said, the bloc will work on new ways to further mobilise Russia’s frozen assets, worth about €210 billion on EU soil, to finance Ukraine’s defence capabilities and reconstruction.
