EU top diplomats visit Ukraine to mark Bucha massacre
Top European diplomats visited Ukraine to mark the anniversary of an atrocity carried out by Russia’s occupying forces in a town near Kiev four years ago.
While US-led efforts to end the war are on hold and Washington’s attention is drawn to the conflict in the Middle East, European governments are keen to draw attention to the continent’s biggest land war in decades, now in its fifth year.
A group of 12 European foreign ministers, as well as several low-level officials, arrived in the Ukrainian capital by train, where they were greeted by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, who congratulated the “brutal anniversary” of the shocking atrocity in Bucha.
Russian troops quickly occupied Bucha after invading Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
They stayed for about a month. When Ukrainian troops retook the town, they found more than 400 bodies left over from Russia’s clearing operation.
“Such a strong European presence (in Ukraine) today shows that justice for this and other Russian atrocities is inevitable,” Sybiha wrote in a post on X. he said.
“Comprehensive accountability for Russia’s crimes is vital to restoring justice in Europe.”
Part of Tuesday’s meeting between EU officials and their Ukrainian counterparts was to focus on reassuring Kiev that Europe’s efforts to hold Russia accountable for its invasion are continuing.
En route to Kiev, European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas underlined the importance of ensuring that those who ordered the killings in places like Bucha are held accountable, as well as those who carried out the atrocities.
“One of the things that is really needed is accountability. Otherwise you face revenge and retaliation,” Kallas said.
“If you don’t see the people who did this to your family being held accountable, you’re going to want revenge.”
The Iran war is currently one of the top priorities for the United States, risking diverting resources such as air defense systems that Kiev needs, while providing Russia with windfall profits through higher energy prices.
“We cannot let the Ukraine war fall off the table,” Kallas said.
“We’re the ones who have to keep it going because no one else is doing it.”
U.S.-brokered talks to end the war are going nowhere, and it’s unclear when they might resume after being shelved as the Middle East conflict continues.
“The talks have stopped,” Kallas said.
