The United States said that it has not closed its embassy after warnings from Russia that all foreign citizens should leave Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, ahead of significant military actions it has planned there. File Photo by Sergey Dolzhenko/EPA
The U.S. embassy in Kyiv plans to remain open and maintain its normal operations after Russia warned foreign citizens and diplomats to leave the city before it launches more attacks.
The announcement comes days after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a phone call that Russia’s armed forces are preparing to launch “systemic and consistent” strikes against Ukrainian armed forces position and other locations “against the relevant decision-making centers” in Kyiv.
“The U.S. embassy is open. There are no changes to our operations and reports otherwise are false,” the embassy said in a statement posted on X.
“The State Department has no higher priority than the safety and security of Americans and regularly reviews the security posture of Embassy Kyiv,” it said. “We reiterate our message that Americans should not travel to Ukraine for any reason due to the armed conflict.”
In a statement on Monday, the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement that it was aiming specifically at enterprises linked to Ukraine’s defense industry in Kyiv, including facilities where it designs, manufactures and programs drones that it has used against Russia since being invaded four years ago.
“Due to the fact that the … facilities are scattered across Kyiv, we are notifying foreign citizens, including the personnel of diplomatic missions and international organizations, of the need to leave the city as soon as possible,” the ministry said.
Ambassadors to the European Union, similar to their American counterparts, said that “the EU is not going anywhere.
“We are staying in Kyiv,” said Katarina Mathernova, the EU’s ambassador to Ukraine.
Last weekend, Russia launched its largest ever drone and missile attack on Kyiv, killing two and injuring 80.
Russia’s attack followed one by Ukraine against occupying Russian forces in Luhansk, Ukraine, which had been described by Moscow as “a bloody drone attack” that killed 21 and injured 42 others.
While Russia contended that the “terrorist strike” hit a college dormitory, Ukraine said it had attacked what is actually the headquarters of Russia’s Rubicon drone military unit.
This week in Washington
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and President Donald Trump participate in a Cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House on Wednesday. Photo by Samuel Corum/UPI | License Photo
