The Head of the European Union Delegation to Ukraine, Katarina Maternova, stated that Putin is deliberately targeting Ukraine's vital arteries, such as the government building and energy infrastructure, and called on allies to increase pressure on Russia and help Ukraine protect its skies.
Points of attention
- Russia is purposefully targeting Ukraine's vital arteries, such as government buildings and energy infrastructure, as confirmed by Katarina Maternova.
- The attacks on key infrastructure show the urgent need for unity and action from allies to support Ukraine in its existential battle against Russia.
- Maternova emphasizes the importance of increasing pressure on Russia and offering defense support to Ukraine to deter further attacks and protect its skies.
Putin knows exactly what he is doing — Maternova on Russia's attack on the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine
The diplomat wrote about this on Facebook after visiting the building of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine damaged by the Russian attack, Ukrinform reports.
Maternova noted that today's visit to the Cabinet of Ministers in Kyiv, where she has met with members of the Ukrainian government many times, was different from previous ones.
She said that when she and Ukrainian government officials and colleagues from the diplomatic corps walked through the ruins of the upper floors of the key government building, the air was still thick with the smell of smoke.
I saw with my own eyes that Putin knows exactly what he is doing. The Iskander ballistic missile that hit the Cabinet of Ministers was aimed right here, at the heart of the Ukrainian government. We were shown large fragments of the missile itself and a lot of shrapnel from the cluster munition part built into the Iskander.
Katarina Maternova
Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine
She added that while foreign diplomats were standing in central Kyiv, reports came in of three more thermal power plants being seriously damaged that same night. In particular, the Trypilska station, which provides heat to at least a third of Kyiv residents, was hit again.
In this context, the EU ambassador agreed with Prime Minister Yulia Svirydenko's words that Ukraine is fighting an existential battle with Russia.
The evidence of this existential battle is before us: Putin is deliberately striking at the lifeblood of the country—its government, its energy, its people. Now is the time for unity. Now is the time for allies to act, to significantly increase the pressure on Russia, and to give Ukraine everything it needs to protect its skies. Anything less will only embolden the Kremlin to continue its bloody terror.
