House president Annita Demetriou on Thursday said she “unequivocally” condemns a missile attack launched by Russia on the European Union’s mission in Kyiv earlier in the day.

“Today, Kyiv once again came under massive Russian missile attacks, with a tragic toll of innocent lives and severe destruction of civilian infrastructure, including even the EU delegation,” she wrote in a post on social media.

She described the strikes as “violent and indiscriminate actions” which “undermine every prospect of peace”, and added that her thoughts are “with the victims, their families, the people of Ukraine, and the EU staff in Kyiv”.

“Europe will not be intimidated. On the contrary, such attacks only reinforce our determination to support the Ukrainian people in their struggle for freedom and for a just and lasting peace,” she wrote.

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News agency Reuters reported that “at least 18” people, including four children, were killed in strikes on Kyiv on Thursday morning, with the EU having formally summoned the Russian envoy in Brussels in response to the strike, though there were no casualties at the EU building.

The EU’s foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas said that “no diplomatic mission should ever be a target”.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy declared that the strike was evidence that “Russia chooses ballistics instead of the negotiating table” and that it “chooses to continue killing instead of ending the war”.

Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko, meanwhile, said the attack was one of the largest on the city in recent months.

Later on Thursday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Russia had “shown its true colours”, and that “the fact that the EU representation has now also been targeted is evidence of the Russian regime’s lack of scruples”.

The government is yet to comment on the strikes, but government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis had said earlier this month that Cyprus “remains firm in its support for Ukraine, as Cyprus has been experiencing the occupation of a large part of its territories for 51 years following the illegal Turkish invasion”.

“Cyprus welcomes the US’ mediation efforts towards achieving sustainable peace, in accordance with international law and the will of Ukraine,” he added.

That statement came off the back of a meeting between European leaders and United States President Donald Trump on the Ukraine war at the White House, with 26 EU member states – all excluding Hungary – releasing a joint statement outlining their position on the war the previous week.

The joint statement read that the 26 countries’ leaders “welcome the efforts of [US President Donald] Trump towards ending Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and achieving a just and lasting peace and security for Ukraine”.

“A just and lasting peace that brings stability and security must respect international law, including the principles of independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and that international borders must not be changed by force,” it added.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it said, “has wider implications for European and international security”. It then added that all 26 states “share the conviction that a diplomatic solution must protect Ukraine’s and Europe’s vital security interests”.

It added that pursuant to any solution, Ukraine must be “capable of defending itself”, and that with this in mind, the EU and its member states “are ready to further contribute to security guarantees based on their respective competences and capabilities”.