Sharp international reactions follow the massive Russian attacks on Kyiv on Wednesday night. At least 18 people were killed, but the number of fatalities is expected to increase.
Among the targets of the attacks were the EU delegation building as well as the British one, which provokes sharp condemnations.
"While the world is seeking a path to peace, Russia responds with missiles", noted EU Foreign Minister Kaja Kallas and said that the Russian ambassador in Brussels has been summoned.
London also summoned the Moscow ambassador to deliver a protest.
"Hedgehog with steel quills"
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed anger:
I am outraged. This was the deadliest drone attack since July, she said.
"Putin must come to the negotiating table", von der Leyen wrote later on X, and added:
"We must secure a just and lasting peace for Ukraine with solid and credible security guarantees that make Ukraine a hedgehog with steel quills."
American anger
On Thursday afternoon, an unusually sharp statement came from the White House and President Donald Trump's special Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg:
"The atrocious Russian attacks threaten the peace plans that the President is pursuing", he wrote on X and noted that "innocent civilians" and foreign delegation buildings had been attacked.
Volodymyr Zelenskyj thanked in turn the support he had received from, among others, von der Leyen, filled with "sympathy and solidarity". He also hinted that the development in Ukraine is speeding up talks with allies about security guarantees for the country.
"National security advisers are currently working on each specific component, and next week the entire prospect will be on paper", the President wrote on Telegram.
