Russia warned the United States that it intends to begin systematic and consistent long-range strikes on Kyiv, including targets described as decision-making centres. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a May 25 phone call that Moscow would carry out the strikes on the Ukrainian capital. The Kremlin urged Washington to consider evacuating US embassy staff from Kyiv in anticipation of escalation. The warning followed earlier Russian announcements about renewed mass missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian military infrastructure, framed as retaliation for Ukrainian strikes in occupied Luhansk Oblast, which Ukraine disputed. Rubio relayed the message to President Donald Trump and warned that wars can escalate and spread. European officials downplayed the warning and said they would maintain their presence in Kyiv.
"Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov informed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a phone call on May 25 that Moscow would begin what it called "systematic and consistent strikes" on the Ukrainian capital."
"The Kremlin urged Washington to consider evacuating its embassy staff from Kyiv in anticipation of the escalation. Lavrov's warning to Rubio marked a notable escalation in rhetoric, with Moscow again suggesting foreign diplomatic missions should leave Kyiv."
"Rubio said he had relayed Lavrov's message to US President Donald Trump, telling reporters that he had briefed the President directly on the content of the call. He added: "Kyiv has been a dangerous place for a number of years. The danger in all these wars, as they continue and go on, is that they always carry the threat of escalation... of spreading into something new.""
"European officials, however, moved to downplay the Russian warning, signalling they would maintain their presence in the Ukrainian capital. Katarina Mathernova, the European Union's ambassador to Ukraine, said the bloc "is not going anywhere", adding: "We stay in Kyiv. We stay with Ukraine.""
Read at London Business News | Londonlovesbusiness.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]