EC president: EU will continue to increase pressure on Russia

European Council President António Costa has stated that the European Union will continue to increase pressure on Russia and maintain its support for Ukraine, advocating for a “comprehensive, just and lasting peace” based on international law.

Costa said, in his view, Russia—having failed to achieve success in the war—has chosen to “deliberately terrorise civilians,” and called on Moscow to cease hostilities, Caliber.Az reports.

He mentioned Russia’s “another horrific strike” on civilian targets in Ukraine, attacking several cities with missiles and drones.

Sharing a posting on X, he said, while people were sleeping in their homes, the cities of Kyiv, Dnipro, Odesa and Kharkiv were attacked with dozens of ballistic missiles and hundreds of drones.

Last night, Russia launched yet another horrendous attack against civilian targets in Ukraine. As people slept in their homes, the cities of Kyiv, Dnipro, Odesa, and Kharkiv were struck by dozens of ballistic missiles and hundreds of drones.

Russian armed forces deliberately…

— António Costa (@eucopresident) April 16, 2026

“Russian armed forces deliberately carried out follow-up strikes on Ukrainian emergency services as first responders arrived to save lives,” he wrote.

The president expressed condolences to the wounded and the families of those killed, describing the incident as “outrageous attacks.”

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov