Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, has urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate, following the recent air strikes on Kyiv that damaged the European Union’s delegation office. She spoke with US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss the situation. Von der Leyen stated that Europe would sustain its backing of Ukraine through security guarantees and defense assistance to achieve a ‘just and lasting peace’. In a social media post, von der Leyen reiterated the need for Putin to negotiate and emphasized the importance of a just and lasting peace for Ukraine with solid security guarantees. She also mentioned her upcoming travel plans to the seven member states that are crucial for the protection of the EU’s external borders with Russia and Belarus. Earlier, von der Leyen condemned the Russian airstrikes on Kyiv, which impacted the EU delegation, and called for an end to attacks on civilian infrastructure while also advocating for negotiations. The recent missile attacks on Kyiv caused considerable damage to the EU delegation building, as per recent reports, with the strikes on Wednesday night resulting in casualties and injuries.
