The European Union will not reduce its diplomatic presence in Kyiv, despite Russia calling on foreign missions to evacuate personnel on May 9.
This was stated at a briefing by European Commission spokesman Anouar El-Announi.
"We will not change our position or presence in Kyiv. Russian attacks, unfortunately, are a daily reality both in Kyiv and in other parts of Ukraine," he noted.
A European Commission spokesman called Russiaʼs public threats to attack Kyiv "part of its thoughtless escalation tactics".
"Russia is once again trying to cynically shift the blame for its own aggression — Russiaʼs aggressive war against Ukraine — onto Ukraine," El-Anuni emphasized.
- The Russian Ministry of Defense reported a ceasefire with Ukraine for May 8-9. Later, it was clarified that it would come into effect from 00:00 on May 8 to May 10. The countryʼs Foreign Ministry called on foreign diplomatic missions to "evacuate" personnel from Kyiv in advance, as they promised a massive missile strike on the city center if Ukraine broke the ceasefire.
- Ukraine instead declared a ceasefire from 00:00 on the night of May 5 to 6. The Russians violated it. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine would respond to Russiaʼs strikes in a mirror manner.
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