'We are open for business', says EU ambassador to Kyiv after Russian attack

Published connected 05/09/2025 - 6:30 GMT+2 •Updated 8:55

The EU delegation successful Kyiv is group to reopen for business aft a fewer days during which unit person been moving from location owed to nan building being damaged successful a Russian aerial strike, according to nan EU ambassador to Ukraine, arsenic reported by Euronews successful an interview.

“We are not leaving Kyiv", Katarína Mathernová insisted, adding that nan premises were quickly being cleaned up to 'open for business' again.

Mathernová said it was a immense daze for her and her unit that a blast activity could origin truthful overmuch harm and that nan full of Europe should besides beryllium shocked that Russia targeted a building truthful adjacent to nan EU's negotiated base.

"Targeting a building 80 aliases 90 metres from nan EU delegation, from nan British Council, from nan Azeri embassy intends that you person reckless disregard to nan harm you are going to origin astir because nan Russians cognize precisely what is going to beryllium nan effect of hitting a building pinch 2 cruise missiles arsenic happened past week," she said.

Ukraine's aerial defences opportunity Russia launched almost 600 drones and 31 missiles successful nan early hours of 28 August successful what appears to beryllium nan worst onslaught connected Kyiv since nan Alaska summit.

The EU premises were severely damaged, but arsenic nan missiles struck conscionable aft 5 americium section clip (4 americium CEST), unit members were not astatine their desks.

"Most of nan windows connected nan broadside of nan blast were destroyed aliases damaged and wrong nan aerial conditioning strategy and each nan solid elements were damaged," lamented Mathernová, adding that furniture, computers, doors and cars successful nan car shed were besides damaged.

"The only metallic lining successful it was that it happened early successful nan morning," she said, since that meant cipher was astatine nan agency isolated from information guards who are retired of harm's way.

"If this happened during activity hours, past this would person been horrendously overmuch worse," she stressed.

Nobody is doing capable to extremity nan war

The ambassador, who has been based successful Ukraine since 2023, is wary astir Russian President Vladimir Putin's mentation of peace.

"I deliberation that it was surely evident to america who watch and unrecorded done nan warfare and nan unspeakable panic connected civilians time in, time out, that (Putin) has ne'er been willing successful peace," said nan ambassador, adding that nan "madness" had to beryllium stopped.

"I deliberation that nan EU is doing a lot, I mean, evidently nobody's doing capable since nan warfare is still going on," she added, insisting that it would beryllium overmuch much "effective" and "much quicker" if nan full antiauthoritarian world successful unison was putting unit connected nan Putin regime.

"The Russian type of bid is to terrorise nan civilians."

Mathernová told Euronews that beyond Kyiv, attacks successful nan remainder of Ukraine are happening daily, and a full procreation of group are truthful incapable to scheme beyond a time aliases 2 because they ne'er cognize what is going to happen.

"You person places for illustration Sumy, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk region, Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, and they are pummelling connected a regular basis," she said.