‘This is Putin’s response to calls for peace’: European leaders condemn Russia’s latest mass attack on Ukraine
Russia launched a large-scale overnight attack on Ukraine on Sept. 7, killing at least four people and injuring more than 40, prompting swift condemnation from Kyiv’s European partners.
The attack, one of the most severe in recent months and which claimed the life of a 3-month-old baby, came as Ukraine’s allies seek to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin into pursuing a diplomatic resolution of the war by imposing additional sanctions on Moscow.
As Western partners explore new levers of influence, Russia launched a record 810 drones and 13 missiles into Ukraine overnight, including four Iskander-M (KN-23) ballistic missiles and nine Iskander-K cruise missiles.
Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 747 drones and four cruise missiles, but several others struck 33 locations across the country. Debris also fell in eight additional areas.
For the first time, the Russian attack damaged major government building in Kyiv.
“Once again, civilians suffer. This is Putin’s response to calls for peace. We condemn these heinous attacks. The pressure on Russia to stop this aggression must increase,” Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide wrote on X.
The attack was seen as the latest sign of Moscow’s open rejection and mocking of efforts to bring an end it to its war in Ukraine, a point European leaders stressed in the following statements gathered here. [Continue reading…]