Russia's screws must be urgently tightened by new sanctions after the devastating attack on the Ukrainian town of Sumi, said the countries, which gathered for a meeting in Luxembourg on 14 April.
Two Russian ballistic missiles struck Sumi as faithful Christians were celebrating Palm Sunday.
At least 34 people were killed and more than 110 injured.
"The strike was carried out in the centre of the town on Palm Sunday. Only dirty bastards can act like that," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
The attack on civilians was carried out at a time when Ukraine is still mourning 19 people, including 9 children, who were killed in Kryvyi Rih earlier this month. Both Russian strikes are similar, combining ballistic missiles and cluster munitions to inflict maximum damage.
For foreign ministers, the barrage demonstrates that Vladimir Putin has no interest in continuing the peace talks promoted by Donald Trump.
"I just want to say that I am appalled by the recent Russian attacks on Ukraine. "I hope President Trump and the US administration will see that Russia's leader is making a mockery of this goodwill, and I hope the right decisions will be made," said Radoslaw Sikorski, Poland's foreign minister.
Lithuanian Minister Kęstutis Budrys said the "barbaric attack" on Sumi constituted a "war crime by definition" and demanded a new package of sanctions targeting sectors left "untouched" in previous decisions, such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) and nuclear energy.
The 17th package is believed to be at a very early stage since February 2022 and is expected to face Hungary's veto once presented. Budapest has become increasingly critical of the economic restrictions, going so far as to threaten to block their renewal.
"This is once again a humiliation for all those who are making diplomatic efforts to stop this war and at least achieve a ceasefire to start negotiations," Budrys said.
"Now is the time to show not only our unity but our commitment. Otherwise, we are not functioning as an organisation, but as separate countries," he added.
His Finnish counterpart, Elina Valtonen, backed calls for further tough sanctions and said the collapse in global oil prices caused by Trump's sweeping tariffs was "just what" the West needed to weaken the Kremlin's war machine.
"Russia shows complete disregard for the peace process, but it also has no regard for human life. There is one person who is not interested in peace, and that is Putin," said Valtonen upon his arrival.
The Swedish foreign minister went even further, saying it was time to "go ahead and take the frozen assets."
The possible seizure of the Russian Central Bank's assets, which are immobilized as part of the sanctions, has been discussed in the past, but gained momentum after Trump took office and began cutting military aid to Ukraine.
The sheer value of the money, which is around EUR 210 in EU territory alone, is seen as an attractive source of revenue to offset America's declining aid. But some member states are reluctant to make the unprecedented move, fearing negative consequences for the bloc's financial stability and investor confidence.
Last month, European Council President António Costa poured cold water on the confiscation impulse, arguing that the assets should remain paralyzed to maintain the $45 billion loan to Kiev and ensure Moscow eventually pays the war reparations.
"This is the reason why it is important to protect these assets, to keep these assets under control," Kostya said at an event.
Still, the debate isn't over as Trump's pivot to Russia forces allies to revisit long-held beliefs and embrace ambitious ideas such as full-scale rearmament.
Reacting to the Sumi attack, the US president described it as "horrible" and "horrific", but appeared to downplay Russia's culpability. Since taking office, Trump has repeatedly been accused of repeating the Kremlin's talking points.
"They told me they made a mistake," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.
Foreign ministers strongly disagreed, saying the strikes were deliberate.
"I don't know what he has learned and what he hasn't learned, but the facts are on the ground and in front of everyone's eyes: Russia is killing civilians and on the way to church," Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braje said when asked about Trump.
"This is a double blow. The Russians knew what they were doing," she added.
High Representative Kaja Kallas, who chaired the 14 April meeting in Luxembourg, added her voice to the collective outrage and backed the demand for new sanctions.
"We need to put pressure - maximum pressure - on Russia to really put an end to this war, because it takes two to want peace but only one to want war," Kallas said.
Kallas has spent the past weeks calling on member states to increase their military support for Ukraine, unveiling a plan with an ideal €40 billion for 2025.
The plan, which is based on gross national income (GNI) to ensure a fair distribution of donations, was well received by smaller member states but met resistance from larger ones, such as France and Italy, who scoffed at the mathematical formulation.
Faced with political opposition, Callas shifted his plan to the goal of quickly raising €5 billion to deliver 2 million rounds of ammunition to Ukraine. According to the High Representative, two-thirds of the €5 billion has already been secured. | BGNES
