Lavrov pressures Rubio to evacuate US embassy staff from Kyiv

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, urging the evacuation of American embassy personnel from Kyiv. Russia threatened to launch 'systematic strikes' against the Ukrainian capital and demanded foreign nationals leave the city.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov contacted US Secretary of State Marco Rubio by phone, pressing Washington to withdraw its embassy staff from Kyiv. The call came as Moscow issued an explicit threat to begin what it described as "systematic strikes" against the Ukrainian capital.

Russia's warning demanded that foreign nationals depart Kyiv, signalling a potential escalation in the nearly three-year-old conflict. The move appears designed to pressure Western governments and undermine confidence in Ukraine's security, as foreign embassies remaining in Kyiv have long been seen as a symbol of international solidarity with the country.

The Kremlin's ultimatum puts Washington in a difficult diplomatic position. Evacuating embassy personnel would risk sending a demoralising signal to Ukraine and its allies, while ignoring Moscow's threat carries its own risks if large-scale attacks on the capital were to follow.