The European Union has condemned Russia's escalating military campaign against Ukraine, citing a major missile attack on Kyiv on 18-19 July 2026 as evidence of Moscow's continued aggression. In a statement delivered at the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation on 22 July 2026, the EU also announced new sanctions against 15 individuals and one entity responsible for human rights violations against Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilian detainees. The sanctions target Russian high-level officers and staff involved in torture and other cruel treatment, as documented by the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine and the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).
The statement, published by the EEAS on 24 July 2026, reiterates the EU's unwavering support for Ukraine, including political, financial, economic, humanitarian, military and diplomatic assistance. It calls on Russia to immediately and unconditionally withdraw all forces from Ukraine's internationally recognised territory and urges all countries to cease any assistance to Russia's war effort, particularly through dual-use goods. The EU strongly condemned the deployment of North Korean military forces in the war and continued military support from Belarus, Iran and North Korea.
The EU reaffirmed its commitment to justice and full accountability for international crimes, noting that the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine confirmed executions of 129 Ukrainian prisoners of war since the start of the full-scale invasion, with the actual number likely much higher. The UN reported that 96% of 853 Ukrainian POWs interviewed suffered torture or ill-treatment, including sexual violence, severe beatings, suffocation and mock executions, with 48 deaths in custody attributed to torture and lack of medical care. The EU demanded that the International Committee of the Red Cross be granted full access to all places where Ukrainian POWs and civilian detainees are held.
The statement also highlighted the importance of upholding freedom of navigation in the Black Sea, following recent incidents in Romania's exclusive economic zone directly resulting from Russia's war. The EU supports a comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on the UN Charter and international law, with robust security guarantees for Ukraine, and insists that peace cannot be decided without Ukraine.
Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway and Ukraine aligned themselves with the EU statement.