EU ministers condemn attack on Kiev as Putin ‘mocks’ peace efforts

EU ministers on Friday strongly condemned a wave of heavy airstrikes on Kiev, which killed more than a dozen people including children, and pledged more sanctions on Moscow.

“These attacks show that Putin is just mocking any kind of peace efforts that are made,” European Union foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas said, arriving at a two-day meeting of EU defence and foreign affairs ministers in Copenhagen.

All EU members but Hungary backed a joint statement condemning the attack, in which the bloc’s diplomatic office in Kiev was damaged. Kremlin-friendly Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has repeatedly opposed the EU’s support for Ukraine.

“What we have to do is increase pressure on Russia,” Kallas said, adding that new sanctions on Russian energy exports and financial services “will hurt them the most.”

Lithuanian Defence Minister Dovile Sakaliene struck a similar chord, saying Putin was “cheaply buying time to kill more people and to imitate willingness to maybe stop his own murderous actions.”

“Putin is not to be trusted,” she urged.

Irish Defence Minister Simon Harris said considering more sanctions was “imperative” to pressure Russia into ending the war.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Thursday that the bloc’s 19th package of sanctions will be presented soon.

Security guarantees to be discussed

In addition to punitive measures on Russia, Kallas urged EU countries to continue providing Kiev with arms.

“Ukraine needs all the military support right now,” she said.

Ministers gathered in the Danish capital will also discuss security guarantees for Ukraine once the fighting has ended.

The EU could support Kiev by continuing to train the Ukrainian military and boosting the country’s defence industry, in addition to commitments by individual member countries, the EU chief diplomat said.

Kallas, however, admitted that the day after the war “is not close if you look at what Putin is doing.”

At the meeting in Copenhagen, talks among defence ministers on Friday will be followed by discussions by foreign affairs ministers on Saturday.

Chief diplomats are also expected to discuss how to deal with assets of the Russian central bank frozen in the EU worth around €210 billion ($245 billion).

The foreign ministers of Ukraine, Iceland, Norway and the United Kingdom have been invited to Copenhagen to join their EU counterparts.

Gaza war also on the agenda

The war in Gaza is also on Saturday’s agenda. The EU has been divided over how to react to an internal review concluding that Israel’s actions in the embattled territory violate an EU-Israel agreement that obliges both sides to respect human rights.

While some EU countries, including France and Spain, advocate a tougher stance towards Israel, others like Germany are against sanctions.

“The time for words of condemnation must end. Words of condemnation are important, but they’re clearly not enough,” said Harris, urging fellow EU countries to back sanctions on Israel.