Macron says EU to intensify pressure on Russia, bolster military support for Ukraine

French President Emmanuel Macron reaffirmed Wednesday that the European Union would intensify pressure on Russia through additional sanctions and bolster military support for Ukraine after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 17 people had been killed in overnight strikes.

“In Kyiv and its surrounding region, Russia has once again chosen to target civilians. This policy of terror, carried out through missile and drone strikes, is unacceptable,” Macron wrote on US social media company X.

He stressed that Russia must pay the price and be held accountable “for its crimes,” adding that they would not yield to fatigue or intimidation and would continue standing alongside Ukraine.

“The European Union and its partners will continue to increase pressure on Russia, notably through new sanctions, while strengthening military support for Ukraine so that it can defend itself and protect its population,” Macron added.

Seventeen people were killed and 44 injured in overnight strikes on Kyiv and the surrounding region, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday.

The attack involved 24 ballistic missiles, four Tsirkon and Oniks missiles, and 115 drones, many of them jet-powered, Zelenskyy said in a statement on Telegram.