Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov urged the United States to evacuate diplomatic personnel from Kyiv during a phone call with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday, as Moscow warned of intensified strikes against what it described as military targets in the Ukrainian capital.
According to a statement from Russia’s Foreign Ministry, Lavrov informed Rubio that Russia would launch systematic strikes against military-related sites in Kyiv in response to what Moscow called "terror attacks" by the Ukrainian government against civilians and infrastructure inside Russian territory.
The Russian minister also referred to a Foreign Ministry statement issued Sunday recommending that the United States and other countries with diplomatic missions in Kyiv ensure the evacuation of embassy staff and citizens from the Ukrainian capital.
The call came amid renewed tensions in the war and increasing concerns over a possible escalation around Kyiv.
During the conversation, Lavrov accused European leaders and the Ukrainian government of undermining understandings allegedly reached between Russia and the United States during last year’s Alaska summit on the Ukraine crisis.
The two sides also discussed diplomatic efforts related to tensions in the Strait of Hormuz as well as the situation in Cuba, according to the Russian statement.
Despite ongoing disagreements, Lavrov and Rubio reaffirmed their willingness to continue efforts aimed at improving the functioning of Russian and U.S. diplomatic missions.
There was no immediate comment from the U.S. State Department regarding the details of the call.
