EU Statement on the Russian Federation’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine
The European Union strongly condemns Russia’s latest intensified attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, including the UNESCO World Heritage site of Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. Having failed to achieve its military and strategic objectives, Russia has escalated its strikes. Last week alone, Russia launched around 2,200 attack drones, more than 1,800 guided aerial bombs, and 87 missiles of various types against Ukraine. According to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, at least 274 civilians were killed and 1,763 injured in May 2026, making it the deadliest month for civilians since April 2022. Long-range weapons caused 45 per cent of civilian casualties, with most victims in urban centres such as Kyiv and Dnipro, far from the frontline. We again call on Russia to cease its aggression, withdraw all forces and military equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders, agree to a full, unconditional and immediate ceasefire and engage in meaningful negotiations towards a just and lasting peace.
The European Union and its Member State stand united in their support for Ukraine and its people. We are reinforcing Ukraine’s resilience by addressing its pressing financial needs, including for its military and defence efforts, through the EUR 90 billion Ukraine Support Loan, with a first disbursement expected by the end of the month. We remain equally committed to supporting Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction, in coordination with international partners. In this context, we welcome today’s Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdańsk. We are also advancing accession talks: the first cluster on fundamentals was opened on 15 June.
Mr. Chair,
Our commitment to Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders is unwavering. We support a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine, grounded in international law and the principles of the UN Charter and the Helsinki Final Act. Such a peace cannot be negotiated without Ukraine. The European Union will decide on matters within its competence and or affecting its security. We are ready to contribute to robust and credible security guarantees for Ukraine, in line with international law and based on the competences and capabilities of EU Member States.
Together with our partners, we will step up pressure on Russia, including through further sanctions. We have adopted new restrictive measures targeting Russia’s military-industrial complex, energy revenues, shadow fleet, hybrid activities and state propaganda, systematic repression and human rights violations, including in temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, as well as repeated disregard for the Chemical Weapons Convention.
The EU is determined to ensure accountability for Russia’s violations of international law committed in its war of aggression against Ukraine. We value the contribution of ODIHR and the OSCE human dimension mechanisms to accountability efforts. The OSCE plays and will continue to play a role in view of a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.
We demand the immediate and unconditional release of all unlawfully detained civilians, including the three OSCE staff members—Vadym Golda, Maksym Petrov, and Dmytro Shabanov, and expect an update from the OSCE Secretary General on ongoing efforts to secure their release. We also call on Russia to comply fully with international humanitarian law in its treatment of prisoners of war and immediately ensure the safe and unconditional return to Ukraine of all deported and forcibly transferred Ukrainian children.
Mr. Chair,
We urge all countries to immediately cease any assistance to Russia in its war of aggression against Ukraine, whether direct or indirect, and notably through the provision of dual-use goods and components. In particular, we strongly condemn the deployment of the DPRK’s military forces in the war against Ukraine as well as the continued military support provided to Russia by Iran, Belarus and the DPRK, among others.
Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Republic of Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, and Ukraine align themselves with this statement.