The European Union, in a statement delivered at the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation on 22 July 2026, condemned Russia's continued escalation in its war against Ukraine, citing a large missile attack on Kyiv on 18-19 July and documenting systematic torture and executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war. The statement, published by the EEAS on 24 July 2026, reaffirms the EU's commitment to accountability for international crimes and calls for full access for the International Committee of the Red Cross to all detention facilities.
The EU highlighted findings from the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, which confirmed 129 executions of Ukrainian POWs since the start of the full-scale invasion, with the actual number likely much higher. According to UN reporting, 96% of 853 Ukrainian POWs interviewed reported torture or ill-treatment during captivity, including sexual violence, severe beatings, suffocation, and mock executions, which the UN concluded was systematic. The ODIHR Ninth Interim Report, published the previous week, also documented widespread and systematic use of torture by Russian authorities. In response, the EU imposed new sanctions on 15 individuals and one entity responsible for serious human rights violations against Ukrainian POWs and civilian detainees.
The EU reiterated its support for a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in Ukraine based on the UN Charter, respecting Ukraine's independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, and stressed that peace cannot be decided without Ukraine. It called on Russia to immediately and unconditionally withdraw all forces from Ukraine's internationally recognised territory. The EU also urged all countries to cease any assistance to Russia's war effort, condemning the deployment of DPRK military forces and continued support from Belarus, Iran, and the DPRK. Additionally, the EU emphasised the importance of freedom of navigation in the Black Sea following recent incidents in Romania's exclusive economic zone.
The statement was aligned with Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, and Ukraine.