EU summons Russian envoy over threats against European diplomats in Kyiv – POLITICO

During a press briefing on Tuesday, Hipper accused Russia of “trying to sow panic” with its warning.

“They want fear and isolation in Ukraine and elsewhere, but we have a clear message this will not work,” she said. “The EU is maintaining its presence and operation in Kyiv, and these threats smell like desperation.”

European diplomats stationed in the Ukrainian capital have refused to comply with Moscow’s suggestion they leave the city.

“The EU is not going anywhere,” Katarína Mathernová, the EU ambassador to Ukraine, said on Monday. “We are staying in Kyiv.”

A spokesperson for France’s Foreign Ministry similarly told France Info that it would be “out of the question to evacuate” its staff from Kyiv. In a statement, Poland’s Foreign Ministry condemned Russia’s warning, saying that any attacks on its embassy would be “treated as hostile acts.”

A German Foreign Office official told POLITICO on Tuesday that Russia’s threat to foreign nationals “shows that Russia remains committed to escalation.” The official added that Berlin is “continually assessing the security situation” in Kyiv. Later on Tuesday, Germany summoned Russia’s ambassador to explain the threat.