Brussels 26.05.2026 Today Russia confirmed that their top diplomat Sergey Lavrov has warned the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to evacuate diplomats and American citizens from Kyiv, as Moscow plans new powerful strikes on the Ukrainian capital.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov “officially informed” Washington that Russia would be launching “systematic and consistent strikes” against Ukrainian military facilities and what Moscow called “decision-making centers,” in a call with Rubio on May 25, according to the Russian government.
The call came after the Russian government issued a statement urging foreign citizens, diplomatic personnel, and international organizations to leave Kyiv, warning that it was preparing to target the capital military infractructure, with a focus on facilities for designing, manufacturing, and programming drones.
Marco Rubio:
Kyiv has been a dangerous place for a number of years. But the danger in all these wars, as they continue and go on, is that they always carry the threat of escalation — of spreading into something new.
So I spoke to Lavrov yesterday about that and a couple of… pic.twitter.com/iMp9CJq7Z2
— Clash Report (@clashreport) May 26, 2026
“The strikes will target decision-making centers and command posts,” the statement said.
Russia pounded Kyiv and surrounding areas with hundreds of drones and missiles, including the Oreshnik hypersonic missile, in one of the heaviest bombardments of the city since the start of the war https://t.co/8RMwjvfXYA pic.twitter.com/yCpaIaS3C0
— Reuters (@Reuters) May 24, 2026
“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 Russian-Ukraine war needs to come to an end. The U.S. stands ready and prepared to facilitate an end to this war. pic.twitter.com/jDOr0nHcfi
— Department of State (@StateDept) May 26, 2026
Russia’s government also warned Kyiv’s residents not to use military or government facilities and infrastructure.
Lavrov highlighted the warning to Rubio during the call, the Russian Foreign ministry said.
⚡️ Given the continued terrorist attacks by the Kiev regime against Russian civilians, @mod_russia will be targeting Ukrainian defence industry facilities in Kiev.
Foreign nationals, including diplomatic missions & staff, should leave the city ASAP.https://t.co/yUFj4twX81 pic.twitter.com/9Hu0lPauvH
— MFA Russia 🇷🇺 (@mfa_russia) May 25, 2026
In a read-out of the conversation, U.S. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott wrote Rubio had spoken to Lavrov at the latter’s request.
“The parties exchanged views on the Russia-Ukraine war, bilateral relations, and the situation in Iran,” he said.
Lavrov “expressed regret” at the impasse over a Russia-Ukraine peace deal, according to Russia’s diplomacy.
Last year, the U.S. led talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in a bid to bring the war between the two nations to an end.
Meanwhile during his visit to India Rubio told journalists that U.S.-led efforts to negotiate a peace deal had ended, explaining that 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,” he told reporters. “It will not end with a military victory by one side or the other.”
He said the U.S. is ready to continue overseeing peace talks if they are constructive, adding that “there doesn’t appear to be anybody else in the world right now that can handle it.”
“We’re not interested in getting involved in an endless cycle of meetings that lead to nothing,” Rubio said.
The Urkaine conflict started with the U.S. Presidency ambitions for NATO Enlragement.
The 1994 Prague Speeches: Following the January 1994 NATO Summit in Brussels, President Clinton delivered pivotal remarks in Prague. Alongside Czech President Václav Havel, Clinton launched the Partnership for Peace initiative, which paved the way for Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic to join the alliance. He famously declared that the question for new members was “no longer whether NATO will take on new members but when and how”.Position on Ukraine & Georgia: During his 1994 trip, Clinton aimed to integrate former Soviet states without drawing a hard dividing line. He sought to keep Ukraine out of Russia’s orbit while working to ensure Russia was not an immediate threat. Decades later, Clinton strongly advocated for keeping Ukraine armed and resisting Russian aggression.
Views on Encirclement: Clinton pushed back on the argument that NATO’s enlargement provoked Russia’s invasions of Georgia (2008) and Ukraine (2014, 2022). He has argued that these nations were the only non-NATO states on Russia’s border and that Vladimir Putin’s autocratic ambitions—rather than NATO expansion—were the root of the conflicts.
25th Anniversary Return: In March 2024, Clinton returned to Prague to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Czech Republic’s accession to NATO. During this visit, he gave a keynote address defending NATO expansion as the “right thing to do” and praising the Czech Republic for its massive military and humanitarian support for Ukraine.
