Several senior European officials have condemned a Russian drone strike on a passenger train near Ukraine’s border with Poland and called for continued support for Kyiv. The train’s locomotive was hit at a railway station in the Volyn region, about two kilometres from the border, according to DW.
The incident occurred shortly after a diplomatic train carrying former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and other European diplomats had been at the station. The supplied report did not state whether passengers on the targeted train were injured or provide further details about damage.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the attack was intended to frighten Western countries away from supporting Ukraine and visiting the country. Speaking at a summit on Arctic strategy in Finland, she said allies should respond by demonstrating that they were present for Ukraine and not intimidated.
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo described the incident as evidence of increasing Russian aggression and called for more support for Kyiv, stronger political measures and additional sanctions against Moscow. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said Russia was challenging all European countries, including their democratic systems and rule of law.
French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said the strike appeared aimed at intimidating Europeans and creating divisions among them. He argued that European strength depended on unity. Germany’s Foreign Minister Boris Pistorius took a more cautious position, saying he regarded drones approaching trains near the Ukrainian-Polish border as serious but that Europe must not be forced into escalation.
The Kremlin’s only reported comment was that Russian forces operated across all Ukrainian territory and would continue to do so. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said the incident showed that Russian President Vladimir Putin regarded Russia as effectively at war with Europe, and described Russian actions as threatening the European Union and NATO.