There are no plans to shut down the European Union’s delegation in Kyiv, an EU source said on Thursday, after the building was damaged in Russian missile strikes.
The EU’s diplomatic service is assessing how fully the mission can continue to function, the source added, but the intention is to maintain operations. Staff will work remotely until the damage has been assessed, another EU source said.
The EU delegation, located in the centre of the Ukrainian capital, was damaged along with the nearby branch of the British Council, the UK’s international cultural body.
The night was one of the most violent since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in early 2022, with 629 missiles and drones launched at Ukraine, killing at least 14 people, according to Ukrainian authorities.
In a press statement, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that two missiles landed within 50 metres of the delegation building, 20 seconds after each other. No EU personnel were harmed, she added.
A Commission spokesperson did not answer whether the EU believes the attack was deliberately targeting its delegation. “That is a question for Russia,” they said.
The EU’s chief diplomat, Kaja Kallas, spoke with diplomatic staff at the EU delegation and summoned the Russian ambassador to the EU, she said on social media. UK Foreign Minister David Lammy also announced London was summoning the US ambassador in a post on X.
Video shows the moment two Russian missiles struck the area around the EU delegation in Kyiv early on 28 August, 2025.
[Credit: EU source]
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French President Macron condemned the attacks, writing on social media: “This is Russia’s idea of peace. Terror and barbarism. More than a dozen dead, including children.”
“Every act of aggression by Russia in this unjust war is a new blow to peace,” according to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who condemned the latest attack as a “new flagrant violation of international law”.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said during a visit to Estonia that “this cannot remain without consequences” and that Russian attacks are likely to be discussed by EU foreign ministers in Copenhagen this week.
EU foreign and defence ministers are meeting in the Danish capital to discuss, among other things, how to put Ukraine in a stronger negotiating position with Russia.
Following the strikes, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on social media: “For the spurning of ceasefire and for the constant Russian attempts to weasel out of negotiations, new strong sanctions are needed. Only this can work. The Russians understand only strength and pressure. For every strike, Moscow must feel the consequences.”
Elisa Braun, and Nicoletta Ionta contributed to this report.
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