EU top diplomats arrive in Ukraine to mark Bucha massacre amid signals to scale back energy sector attacks

The European Union's top diplomat Kaja Kallas and several EU foreign ministers arrived in Kyiv on Tuesday to mark the fourth anniversary of the Bucha massacre and to voice their support for Ukraine, amid tensions within the bloc over blocked EU aid.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha greeted Kallas and other senior EU officials at Kyiv's central railway station early on Tuesday, saying that such a strong European presence demonstrated that justice for Russian atrocities was inevitable.

"Today, we commemorate the grim anniversary of the Bucha massacre," Sybiha said on the Telegram messaging app.

"Comprehensive accountability for Russian crimes is vital to restore justice in Europe. And today, we will advance accountability efforts," she added.

Ukraine marks the fourth anniversary this week of the liberation of Bucha, around 25 km from the Ukrainian capital, which brought to light the atrocities carried out in the town, where Russian troops killed more than 400 people.

Moscow denied its troops committed the atrocities and accused Ukraine of staging the incident.

Fighting continues

Meanwhile, Ukrainian drones have damaged Russia's Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga again, Alexander Drozdenko, the governor of Leningrad region, said on Tuesday.

He also said three people, including two children, were treated for injuries, while several buildings were also damaged in the region in the drone attacks, which were continuing.

Possible scaling back long-range strikes

Some of Ukraine's allies have sent Kyiv "signals" about the possibility of scaling back its long-range strikes on Russia's oil sector as global energy prices have surged, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday.

Speaking to reporters in a WhatsApp chat, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine is ready to reciprocate if Russia stops attacking the Ukrainian energy system, and that Kyiv is open to an Easter ceasefire.

"Recently, following such a severe global energy crisis, we have indeed received signals from some of our partners about how to reduce our responses in the oil sector and the energy sector of the Russian Federation," Zelenskyy said in a WhatsApp briefing with journalists.

• Oil tanker off Dubai hit by Iranian strike, Trump threatens to obliterate Iran's energy
• Ukrainian drones damage area near one of Russia's biggest oil refineries

A source familiar with the situation said U.S. officials had conveyed this message to their Ukrainian counterparts as part of their regular conversations, adding that the initial "signals" appeared to have come from Moscow.

The U.S. State Department and the Russian embassy in Washington didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.

Tags

News Politics Ukraine Russia, Bucha massacre Ukraine Russia War Volodymyr Zelenskyy Trump