France condemns in the strongest terms the Russian missile strike that hit a shop and a café in Groza, in the Kharkiv region, killing more than 50 civilians and the strike that seriously damaged a hospital in Beryslav, in the Kherson region. By deliberately targeting Ukrainian civilians, Russia is once again guilty of atrocities that constitute war crimes.
As Catherine Colonna, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, has repeatedly emphasized, these unacceptable acts cannot go unpunished. France will continue to provide support for Ukrainian courts and the International Criminal Court to combat impunity for such crimes.
During her visit to New York in September, the Minister also stressed to the United Nations Security Council the collective responsibility and moral duty incumbent on each of its members to take action to end this aggression by Russia, as an overwhelming majority of the General Assembly has called for three times.
As they stated at the historic informal meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council held in Kyiv on 2 October, France and its European partners will maintain their assistance to Ukraine in every sector to help it resist Russia’s unjustified aggression for as long as it takes.
Originally published at https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/country-files/ukraine/news/article/condemnation-of-russian-strikes-on-ukrainian-civilian-targets-05-10-23
