Moscow has warned diplomatic missions in Kyiv of “systematic” strikes on military-linked sites and urged evacuation. The United States has declined to condemn Russia over its warning about upcoming strikes on Ukrainian military facilities, which it claims are retaliation for Ukraine’s deadly attack on a Russian education facility.
On Friday, Ukrainian drones struck an educational center in the Russian town of Starobelsk, killing 21 people, mostly young women, and injuring more than 60 others. Moscow has denounced the attack as a war crime and a deliberate terrorist act. Kyiv has dismissed the accusation as “pure propaganda,” with its Western allies refusing to hold Ukraine accountable despite ample evidence of involvement.
On Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to warn of “systematic and consistent strikes” on Kyiv’s military facilities and “decision-making centers” while urging foreign nationals to leave the capital.
On Tuesday, Andrey Melnik, Ukraine’s envoy to the United Nations, shared a joint statement signed by more than 50 nations, including Germany and other EU members, as well as the UK, Canada, and Japan. The statement condemned Moscow over what it described as “escalating attacks” and “threats by Russia to diplomatic institutions.” The statement did not mention the United States.
Rubio refrained from leveling accusations, stating only that Kyiv has been “a very dangerous place now for a number of years.” He added: “This is what happens with these wars – they just continue to escalate. There’s a big strike coming one way, a bigger strike coming back – and that’s how these things unravel and keep going.”
Under the Trump administration, the United States acted as a key intermediary in Russia-Ukraine talks, though the process froze amid the Iran conflict. In March, Vladimir Zelensky claimed that Washington was pressuring Ukraine to withdraw from Donbas as a condition for post-conflict security guarantees – an issue Ukraine has categorically opposed.
Rubio dismissed Zelensky’s comments as “a lie,” insisting that the U.S. was not “advocating” for Moscow but only relaying its stance.