The Diplomat
Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares has denounced the “massive attacks with drones and ballistic and cruise missiles” carried out by Russia in the early hours of Saturday against Kyiv and other areas of Ukraine. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha praised “Spain’s unwavering support” in condemning “the latest massive Russian attack against our cities.”
“Russia is maintaining its strategy of terror against Ukraine. I condemn the massive attacks with drones and ballistic and cruise missiles last night in Kyiv and other areas of the country,” Albares posted on social media on Sunday, following the Russian bombardment of the capital and other residential areas with nuclear-capable missiles in the early hours of Saturday, which resulted in at least two deaths and injuries to 69 others. “Our firm and united support for the defense of Ukraine and for a just and lasting peace,” he added.
“Dear José Manuel Albares, I greatly appreciate Spain’s unwavering support and principled stance in condemning Russia’s latest massive attack on our cities,” Sybiha posted on social media. “The aggressor must be held fully accountable for its atrocious war crimes and continued aggression,” he warned. “A just and lasting peace is only possible through strength and unity,” and therefore, “the international community must act decisively by increasing pressure and strengthening military support for Ukraine to stop Russia’s bloody war machine,” he concluded.
The minister himself visited the areas affected by the attacks on Monday, along with more than 70 heads and representatives of foreign diplomatic missions in Ukraine, who paid tribute “to the memory of the victims of this horrific bombing.”
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the offensive damaged “dozens of residential buildings and several schools” and affected the Chernobyl Museum, the National Art Museum, and the building housing the offices of the German public broadcaster ARD. Zelensky also noted that many of the missiles were aimed at the capital and civilian infrastructure, such as residential buildings and schools, and stated that the shelling “razed a food market, one of the oldest in Kyiv.”ç
For her part, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kakha Kallas, denounced these “abominable terrorist acts” on Monday. “Russia has found itself at a dead end on the battlefield, so it is terrorizing Ukraine with deliberate attacks on urban centers,” she warned.
According to Kallas, the use of the Oreshnik hypersonic missile, designed to carry nuclear warheads, constitutes a “political tactic of intimidation and a reckless policy of nuclear risk.” She added that the European Union’s foreign ministers will discuss “how to intensify international pressure on Russia” during their upcoming informal meeting in Cyprus this week.
For her part, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen asserted that the Russian attack “demonstrates the Kremlin’s brutality and its contempt for both human life and peace negotiations,” and affirmed that the European Union is “preparing further assistance to strengthen Ukraine’s air defense systems” in response to this latest offensive.
