EU's Kallas: Russia's War 'More Ruthless' as Kyiv Endures Fresh Attacks
EU's Kallas says Russia's war is becoming more ruthless, with strikes on civilians and grain ships, as Kyiv faces renewed attacks.
The European Union's top diplomat has warned that Russia's war in Ukraine is becoming increasingly brutal, even as its military struggles to make headway on the front lines. Speaking after a meeting of EU defense ministers in Ireland, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Moscow is resorting to aerial terror to compensate for its stalled ground offensive.
"Russia's army is bogged down on the ground, and that is why they are killing civilians from the skies," Kallas said. "This is terror by design."
Her remarks came as Ukrainian authorities reported another night of heavy Russian bombardment on Kyiv, marking the sixth consecutive day of aerial assaults on the capital. The attacks, which killed at least a dozen people, are seen as an attempt to grind down civilian morale by disrupting daily life.
Kallas also highlighted Russia's actions in the Black Sea, where strikes on grain ships are deliberately endangering global food supplies. She accused Moscow of waging a campaign of "increasingly kinetic hybrid attacks" against Europe, aimed at frightening Western nations into abandoning their support for Ukraine.
"They will not succeed," Kallas asserted. "To the contrary, we will increase our support to Ukraine and invest in our own defense."
On the question of Patriot missile systems, Kallas acknowledged that no concrete decisions were reached during the talks, though discussions are expected to continue. She noted that the risk from Russia's more aggressive tactics is clearly on the rise.