This afternoon, Russia attacked Poltava with two ballistic missiles. This attack has killed dozens of people and injured over 200. It is yet another targeted bloodshed that proves Russia’s determination to continue with its brutal war against Ukraine and its people, trying to cause the highest possible loss of life and inflict large-scale devastation. We share the grief of the families of the victims and stand by the Ukrainian people.  

For the past two and a half years, Russia has been continuously terrorising Ukraine’s population by waging its illegal war of aggression, with indiscriminate missile and drone attacks across Ukraine’s territory, cowardly aiming mostly at civilian targets.

This only underlines the need for Ukraine, in accordance with its legitimate right to self-defence under the UN Charter, to be able to fend off effectively such heinous attacks launched from military platforms in Russia and push the aggressor back.

The European Union remains committed to stepping up the delivery of military support, including air defence systems and ammunition. These deliveries strengthen Ukrainian self-defence, save innocent lives, and reduce the level of the destruction in Ukraine.