Belgian foreign minister says attack on Kyiv shows "Russia has no will for peace"

28 August 2025

At least 14 people were killed in overnight Russian strikes on Kyiv, the deadliest assault on the Ukrainian capital in weeks. Belgian foreign minister Maxime Prévot said the attack shows Moscow “has no genuine will for peace,” while EU leaders vowed to step up pressure on the Kremlin.

At least 14 people, including three children, were killed in large-scale Russian strikes on Kyiv on Wednesday night. Residential areas were heavily damaged, and buildings housing the EU delegation and the British Council were struck. No staff were injured, according to European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.

Belgian foreign minister Maxime Prévot condemned the "brutal" attack on the Ukrainian capital on Thursday. "Russia shows, once more, that it has no genuine will for peace. It chooses terror, destruction, and lies over dialogue," he wrote on X. "Belgium stands in full solidarity. We will not be silent. Ukraine will not stand alone."

"Russia (...) chooses terror, destruction, and lies over dialogue"

French president Emmanuel Macron and British prime minister Keir Starmer also denounced the strikes. "Putin is killing children and civilians, and sabotaging hopes of peace. This bloodshed must end," Starmer wrote on X. Macron described the overnight barrage — which Ukrainian officials said included more than 600 drones and missiles — as “terror and barbarism.”

More sanctions on the way

Von der Leyen called the attack a reminder that the Kremlin “will stop at nothing to terrorize Ukraine,” and announced plans to tighten sanctions and explore new ways to channel profits from frozen Russian assets to Kyiv. A 19th sanctions package is also being prepared, the Commission president said.

Von der Leyen will travel on Friday to seven EU member states bordering Russia and Belarus — including Poland, Finland and the Baltic states — to underline European solidarity.

The EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Russia’s envoy in Brussels would be summoned after EU buildings were hit. “A diplomatic mission should never be a target,” she stressed.

But Moscow defended the strikes. It only attacks “military and paramilitary targets”, according to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. He added that Russia remains open to peace talks “to achieve its objectives by political and diplomatic means.”