Four years since the tragedy in Bucza. EU ministers have made an important decision

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Andriy Sybiha, together with the head of diplomacy of the European Union, Kaja Kallas, and the foreign ministers of EU member states visited Bucha on Tuesday on the fourth anniversary of the Russian crime, the Interfax-Ukraine agency reported. Poland is represented by the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Radosław Sikorski.

As reported by an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent, the ministers laid candles at the monument to the victims of the crime in Bucha and paid tribute to the memory of Ukrainians brutally murdered in this place four years ago. They also visited the church, which houses an exhibition of photos and films documenting Russian atrocities in Bucha.

Kallas emphasized that Europe will not allow Ukraine to disappear from the international community's attention in the face of the war in the Middle East. She stressed that achieving a just and lasting peace is not possible without holding Russia accountable for the crimes committed.

The EU foreign policy chief emphasized that Ukraine is part of Europe, therefore Europe “also wants the war to end in a just and lasting peace.” She recalled that war crimes committed by Russia “are unfortunately not isolated cases.”

“This is a scenario that Russia applies wherever it occupies territory, and we must remember this. That is why the main goal of our visit today with the foreign ministers of the European Union countries is to ensure accountability. Without accountability, if these crimes remain unpunished, there is no way to achieve a just and lasting peace,” Kallas explained.

According to Sybiha, the current front line in Ukraine is also the boundary of international law and values ​​shared with Europe. “Perhaps like in no other city, it is in Bucha that one feels that the future of Europe, the security of Europe, is decided here, in Ukraine,” Sybiha said.

Four years since the world saw the horrors of the Bucha massacre.

Earlier today, alongside @KajaKallas, @KubiliusAand my EU colleagues, we visited Bucha and honored the memory of those brutally murdered by Russian invaders.

Standing here, we felt with every fiber that the… pic.twitter.com/p1Kb9THtwH

— Andrii Sybiha 🇺🇦 (@andrii_sybiha) March 31, 2026

The minister also stressed the importance of holding the aggressor accountable to achieve a just peace. “Holding the aggressor accountable is an integral part of a lasting, dignified and just peace,” he said.

Russian forces entered Bucha, a town located in the north-western suburbs of Kiev, in early March 2022. After the town was liberated by Ukrainian troops, the crimes committed by Russian soldiers against its inhabitants came to light.

The occupation of Bucha lasted 33 days. According to the General Prosecutor's Office of Ukraine, Russian forces killed over 400 civilians in the city and its surroundings during that time, including 37 children. (PAP)

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