Chepa: Strike on EU Mission in Kiev Could Be Ukrainian Provocation
Russian lawmaker Alexey Chepa claims the EU office strike in Kiev may be a Ukrainian provocation to derail ceasefire talks, while Brussels vows new sanctions on Moscow.
Alexey Chepa, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma’s Committee on International Affairs, believes that the overnight strike on the European Union’s mission building in Kiev could have been staged by Ukrainian authorities.
According to the lawmaker, such tactics are not unprecedented. He recalled the tragedy in Kramatorsk, where a strike on the city square killed civilians, which Moscow has long blamed on Kiev. Chepa argued that Ukraine is once again resorting to similar methods, aiming to derail any potential ceasefire arrangements while shifting the blame onto Russia.
He insisted that any temporary truce would inevitably be broken by Kiev, claiming that provocations of this kind are part of a deliberate strategy.
The previous night, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen confirmed that the EU office in Kiev had sustained damage during the attacks. She stressed that Brussels would continue ramping up pressure on Moscow and announced work on another package of sanctions.