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All European Union member-state embassies will continue operating in Kyiv despite Russia’s threats against foreign diplomatic missions, EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarína Mathernová said in a comment to Suspilne.
“We are staying in Kyiv, and all the other EU member-state embassies are staying as well,” Mathernová said. She noted that 25 EU member states have embassies in Kyiv and that all of them remain there.
Mathernová said she viewed Russia’s threats as a sign of frustration over its failure to gain an advantage on the battlefield. She added that Moscow was trying to pressure the EU into reducing its support for Ukraine, but that the threats instead made the bloc more determined to continue supporting Kyiv.
“Russia has made such threats several times already,” she said. Mathernová also referred to the Vienna Conventions governing diplomatic missions and warned that Russia should not test their protections.
The comments came after Russia’s Foreign Ministry called on foreign nationals, including diplomatic personnel, to leave Kyiv and warned of further large-scale strikes on the Ukrainian capital. Reuters reported that Moscow had issued the warning on October 3 as Russian attacks on Kyiv intensified.
The EU delegation in Kyiv has previously taken a similar position. In an earlier statement, Mathernová said the EU would remain in the Ukrainian capital despite Russian threats against diplomats and foreign nationals.
