EU diplomats are not leaving Kyiv despite Russia's threats
Diplomats from European Union countries continue to work in Kyiv, despite Russia’s calls for them to leave the Ukrainian capital. EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Maternová stated that the EU Delegation and the embassies of member states are continuing their work while stepping up security measures for their staff.
On October 4, EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Maternová stated that EU diplomats remain in Kyiv to carry out their work. Her statement came after new threats from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. According to Maternová, Moscow is trying to intimidate European countries into reducing their support for Ukraine. “Moscow is trying to intimidate Europe into reducing its support for Ukraine. That will not happen. The EU Delegation continues its work in Kyiv, while paying close attention to the safety of our team. All EU embassies also continue to operate here,” the diplomat wrote.
Earlier, the Russian Foreign Ministry called on foreign citizens and diplomats to leave Ukraine. Moscow stated that those who ignore this warning would allegedly bear responsibility for any possible consequences. Russia issued these threats amid new strikes on Kyiv. The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also reported that it had not received any official notifications from Western embassies regarding their intention to relocate their diplomatic missions from Kyiv.
Maternova emphasized that the European Union does not plan to scale back its support for Ukraine due to Russian threats. “Russia has a clear goal—to weaken support for Ukraine. It will not succeed,” the ambassador noted. She also spoke about further EU assistance to Ukraine. According to her, the European Union has already approved plans this year for defense procurement for Ukraine totaling 28.3 billion euros.
A separate €6.6 billion has been allocated for military aid-related initiatives. Maternova noted that the EU is simultaneously intensifying sanctions pressure on Russia. She said that this week, the European Union imposed new sanctions in response to the deportation of Ukrainian children. The diplomat stated that Brussels is responding to the further escalation of Russian actions with new restrictions. “As Russia takes ever-greater risks, we are stepping up our actions to make it pay a higher price,” Maternova said.
She also mentioned the situation in Kyiv. On the morning of October 4, a Russian drone struck the roadway of the Northern Bridge. According to city authorities, two people were injured in the attack. Maternova emphasized that attacks on the capital’s bridges have been recurring. “These repeated attacks are disrupting transportation between the two banks of the Dnipro River,” the ambassador wrote.
Russian strikes on Kyiv in recent weeks have already disrupted public transportation and infrastructure. At the same time, European diplomatic missions continue to operate in the capital. The day before, European Commission spokesperson Christian Wiegand also responded to Moscow’s threats. He stated that similar statements from Russia had been made before, and that the EU would continue to support Ukraine.
Thus, despite new warnings from the Russian side, the diplomatic missions of EU countries have not announced their departure from Kyiv and continue to operate in the Ukrainian capital. Katarina Maternová, the European Union’s Ambassador to Ukraine, made this statement on Facebook on Sunday, October 4.
The European Union has no intention of reducing its support for Ukraine or changing the status of its diplomatic mission in Kyiv due to Russia’s threats of future strikes on the capital. This was stated by European Commission spokesperson Christian Wigand. He emphasized that Moscow’s latest attempts to intimidate European countries and force them to reduce aid will not succeed, and that Brussels will continue to increase pressure on the aggressor country.
