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Kyiv, Ukraine — <\/span>European foreign ministers visited Ukraine on Tuesday to mark the fourth anniversary of Atrocities committed in a town near Kiev<\/a> By the invading Russian forces.<\/p>\n With American-led efforts to end the war and Washington’s attention conflict in the middle east<\/a>European governments are keen to keep the focus on The continent’s largest land war<\/a> Over the decades, now in its fifth year.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Ukrainian long-range drones attacked Russian oil facilities in the Baltic Sea on Monday night for the fifth time in more than a week, as Kiev tries to prevent Moscow from profiting from its oil exports amid an energy crisis caused by the Iran war and a temporary US waiver on Russian oil sanctions. Ukraine says export earnings finance Moscow’s war efforts.<\/p>\n A group of 12 European foreign ministers, as well as several low-level officials, arrived by train in Kiev, where they were welcomed by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiha, who celebrated the “solemn anniversary” of the shocking atrocities in Butcha.<\/p>\n Russian troops immediately captured the city after they invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022. They stayed for about a month. When Ukrainian troops withdrew from Butcha, they found more than 400 bodies. Russia’s clean-up campaign<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cSuch a strong European presence on this day (in Ukraine) shows that justice for this and other Russian atrocities is inevitable,\u201d Cybiha said in a post on X. \u201cComprehensive accountability for Russian crimes is vital to restoring justice in Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n At St. Andrew’s Church in Bucha, after viewing dozens of graphic photographs and a video display of the massacres with his EU counterparts, Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski was grim.<\/p>\n “Anyone who claims that (Russian President) Vladimir Putin is not a war criminal should come and see for themselves,” Sikorsky told The Associated Press.<\/p>\n Authorities say several victims were shot on the street. Some had their hands tied behind their backs, and others showed signs of torture or rape. <\/p>\n The United Nations has documented more than 70 summary executions.<\/p>\n Part of Tuesday’s meeting between EU officials and their Ukrainian counterparts focused on reassuring Kiev about ongoing European efforts to hold Russia accountable for its aggression.<\/p>\n En route to Kiev, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas underlined the importance of ensuring that those who ordered killings in places like Butcha are held to account as much as those who carried out the atrocities.<\/p>\n “One of the things that’s really needed is accountability. Otherwise, you’ll have revenge and retribution,” Callas said. “If you don’t see that the people who did this are held accountable to your family, you’re going to want revenge.”<\/p>\n The Iran war is currently a top priority for the United States and risks diverting essential resources to Kiev, such as air defense systems, while providing Russia with windfall benefits through higher energy prices.<\/p>\n “We cannot let it (the Ukraine war) slip off the table,” Callas said. “We’re the ones who have to maintain it because no one else does.”<\/p>\n US-brokered talks to end the war in Ukraine are going nowhere, and it is unclear when they might resume after being put on ice since the conflict erupted in the Middle East.<\/p>\n \u201cNegotiations are at a standstill,\u201d Callas said.<\/p>\n The EU has faced its own challenges in helping Ukraine. group failed to approve<\/a> New sanctions were imposed on Russia last month following Hungary’s objection. Budapest, which has feuded with its EU partners over support for Ukraine and Russian oil deliveries blocked<\/a> 90 billion euros ($103 billion) in debt because Kiev is short on cash. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s application for EU membership is expected to take years.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Russia can get unexpected profits<\/a> From the US temporary relaxation on Russian oil sanctions to increase oil prices and ease supply shortages. Russia is one of the world’s leading oil exporters, and Asian countries are also fast competition<\/a> The energy crisis for Russian crude is increasing.<\/p>\n