France says Russian drone strike near passenger train seeks to 'divide,' 'intimidate' European allies

"These attacks have a very clear objective: to intimidate Europeans, discourage them and, above all, divide them," Barrot told reporters on the sidelines of the European Arctic Summit in Finland.

He pointed out that the strikes occurred "as Ukraine was hosting a major economic support forum, attended by a large number of business representatives and diplomatic officials from around the world, particularly from Europe," according to broadcaster BFMTV.

Barrot's remarks came after German newspaper Der Spiegel reported that a privately chartered train traveling from Kyiv toward Poland on Sunday, carrying European officials and former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, was evacuated following a nearby drone attack.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas also said that the attack was intended to intimidate Western countries and discourage them from supporting Kyiv.

"It is clearly meant to scare Western countries from supporting Ukraine, from going to Ukraine to show support," Kallas told reporters on the doorstep of the European Arctic Summit.

Commenting on the incident, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “If I understand correctly, then we are talking about the territory of Ukraine. Our military is carrying out tasks throughout Ukraine and will continue to do so.”