The European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell, on Thursday accepted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s version that Ukraine was not involved in Wednesday’s drone attack on the Kremlin and urged the Russian authorities not to use this episode to justify an escalation of aggression against the neighboring country.
»I listened to President Zelenskyy and he made it very clear that Ukrainians are not involved in these attacks and that they defend their country by fighting only on their territory,» the head of EU diplomacy said in statements before the meeting of European ministers for international cooperation in Brussels.
In this sense, he endorsed the explanation of Kyiv disassociating itself from the attack and stressing that it only operates on its territory and does not carry out attacks on Russian soil.
In any case, Borrell has admitted his fear that Moscow will use this attack as a pretext to redouble its aggression against Ukraine. »We call on Russia not to use this alleged attack as an excuse to continue the escalation of the war. This is what worries us,» he noted.
The High Representative argued that Russia can now use this situation as a pretext for further recruitment of soldiers and strengthening attacks against Ukraine, so he reiterated the importance of the EU’s continued military, political and economic support for Kyiv.
»The best solution for the war, the only solution for the war, is that Russia stops the attack and withdraws its troops from Ukraine», has valued the responsible for Foreign Affairs of the bloc.
Russia has branded Thursday as »ridiculous» Ukraine’s statements disassociating itself from the drone attack, which Moscow has described as an assassination attempt against President Vladimir Putin, while pointing out that the order would have been given by the U.S. authorities.
»These decisions, the definition of targets and means, everything is dictated to Kyiv from Washington. We are well aware of this,» said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who stressed that the anti-aircraft defense systems will be »reinforced» in the area, as reported by the Russian daily Izvestia.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
