Kallas: Russia’s Oreshnik strike represents warning to Europe and US

Kaja Kallas, Vice-President of the European Commission, has condemned Russia’s use of the Oreshnik missile, describing it as not only an escalation against Ukraine but also a direct warning to Europe and the United States.

According to Caliber.az, Kallas shared her remarks on X, emphasising that Moscow’s actions signal a rejection of diplomacy.

“Putin doesn’t want peace; Russia’s reply to diplomacy is more missiles and destruction,” she wrote.

“This deadly pattern of recurring major Russian strikes will repeat itself until we help Ukraine break it.”

She added that the missile attack represents a clear escalation against Ukraine and is intended as a warning to Europe and the US. Kallas called on EU countries to strengthen their air-defence capabilities immediately and warned that further measures are needed to increase the cost of the war for Moscow.

“EU countries must dig deeper into their air-defence stocks and deliver now. We must also further raise the cost of this war for Moscow, including through tougher sanctions,” she said.

The Russian military claimed it had launched its hypersonic Oreshnik missile at a target in Ukraine in retaliation for what it described as an attempted Ukrainian drone attack on one of President Vladimir Putin’s residences, a claim Kyiv has dismissed as false.

This marks the second time Russia has deployed the intermediate-range Oreshnik, a missile that President Putin has boasted is impossible to intercept due to its reported speed of over ten times the speed of sound.

Russia first used its Oreshnik hypersonic missile in combat on November 21, 2024, when it struck a defence‑industrial facility in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro during the ongoing war.

By Aghakazim Guliyev