Russia says its foreign minister has delivered a stark warning in a call to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has urged the evacuation of American citizens from Ukraine ahead of what Moscow describes as imminent heavy strikes on Kyiv.
Lavrov delivered the warning during a call with Rubio on Monday, just one day after Russia launched a large-scale drone assault on the Kyiv region.
But the strikes are now set to escalate, with Russia warning of “systematic and consistent strikes.”
Russia has pointed to a recent strike on a school dormitory in the occupied Luhansk region as justification for its escalating threats, with local officials claiming more than 20 people were killed in Starobilsk and Moscow accusing Ukraine of deliberately targeting civilians.
President Vladimir Putin described Kyiv’s actions as “terrorism” in a sharply worded statement, while Ukraine denied hitting civilian sites.
Meanwhile, on May 24, Kyiv was hit by a major wave of drone and missile strikes that killed at least three people and injured dozens. Russia also fired a nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile toward an area near the capital.
Ahead of the escalating strikes, Russia urged foreign citizens, diplomats, and international organizations to leave Kyiv, saying it would focus on facilities involved in drone design, production, and programming.
“The strikes will target decision-making centers and command posts,” the statement said.
“Due to the fact that the above-mentioned 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 statement added.
Russia also warned Kyiv residents against using military or government infrastructure.
A U.S. State Department readout said Rubio spoke with Lavrov at Russia’s request and that “the parties exchanged views on the Russia-Ukraine war, bilateral relations, and the situation in Iran.”
Lavrov also reportedly “expressed regret” over the lack of progress toward a peace deal, according to Moscow.
President Donald Trump returned to the White House last year after promising to end the Russia-Ukraine war on “day one” of his second term, repeatedly blaming former President Joe Biden for the conflict.
Now, more than 490 days into his presidency, no peace agreement has materialized, as disputes over potential Ukrainian territorial concessions to Russia continue to block progress in negotiations.
Still, earlier this month, both Trump and Putin suggested the war in Ukraine could be nearing an end.
Trump told reporters, “The end of the war in Ukraine, I really think, it’s getting very close.”
But Rubio later told reporters that U.S.-led peace efforts had stalled, saying previous talks “were not fruitful.”
“There are no such talks occurring at this time, but we hope that will change because that war can only end with a negotiated settlement. It will not end with a military victory by one side or the other,” he said.
Rubio said the U.S. would remain open to facilitating negotiations if progress is possible, noting that “there doesn’t appear to be anybody else in the world right now that can handle it,” but warned, “We’re not interested in getting involved in an endless cycle of meetings that lead to nothing.”
Earlier this month, Democratic Senators Chuck Grassley and Amy Klobuchar backed a non-binding Senate resolution calling for the unconditional return of all Ukrainian children taken during the war as a prerequisite for any future peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia.
