Russian drone strike on train near Ukraine-Poland border meant to scare off allies, says EU's Kallas
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Sunday's Russian drone strike on a passenger train near the Ukraine-Poland border was meant to intimidate Western nations into halting support for Ukraine. No one was hurt, but officials suspect the real target may have been a train carrying prominent Western dignitaries that had passed shortly before.
European Commission Vice-President and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Monday that a Russian drone strike on a Warsaw-bound train near the Ukraine-Poland border was aimed at frightening Western countries into abandoning their support for Kyiv. She made the remarks to reporters after arriving in Finland for an Arctic summit.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot echoed the assessment, saying the attack was designed to intimidate Europeans, discourage them, and sow division among allies.
Strike hit locomotive near border
The drone struck the locomotive of a passenger train roughly two kilometers from the border in Ukraine's Volyn region. Ukraine's state rail operator confirmed the strike and said no one was injured. However, the attack occurred shortly after a train carrying senior Western officials and advisers had traveled the same line, raising suspicion that the diplomatic train may have been the intended target. Passengers on that earlier train included former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, former CIA director David Petraeus, and U.K. National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell. Ukraine's rail operator said it is quite possible the diplomatic train was the real target.
Russia's defense ministry stated it had struck railway infrastructure in western Ukraine used to transport military cargo from Europe.
Calls for tougher response
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on X that Russian President Vladimir Putin's forces are knocking directly on the doors of the EU and NATO, urging allies to intensify sanctions against Moscow.
Earlier this month, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned of further threats to Europe's borders following a Russian strike on a Moldova-Ukraine border crossing that killed two people, saying similar provocations targeting border crossings, including in Poland, should be expected.
Russia has also been linked to other recent incidents: an explosive-laden drone found near Leipzig airport in Germany, a sea drone neutralized by Romania in the Black Sea, and reports of a plot to assassinate the head of German arms maker Rheinmetall.
