Moscow has warned diplomatic missions in Kyiv 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 military facilities in Kyiv in retaliation for Ukraine’s deadly attack on a college dormitory in the Russian town of Starobelsk, which killed 21 people, mostly young women, and injured more than 60 others. Moscow denounced the strike as a war crime and deliberate terrorist act. Kyiv dismissed the accusation as “pure propaganda,” with its Western backers refusing to hold Ukraine accountable despite ample evidence of its involvement.
On Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to warn of “systematic and consistent strikes” on Kyiv’s military facilities and “decision-making centers” while urging foreign nationals to leave the capital. On Tuesday, Andrey Melnik, Ukraine’s envoy to the United Nations, shared a joint statement – signed by more than 50 nations, including Germany, France, and other EU members, as well as the UK, Canada, and Japan – which condemned Moscow over what it described as “escalating attacks” and “threats by Russia to diplomatic institutions.” Moscow has never mentioned any plans to target embassies or civilian installations.
The statement conspicuously did not mention the United States. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Rubio refrained from leveling accusations, saying only that Kyiv had “been a very dangerous place now for a number of years.” “This is what happens with these wars – they just continue to escalate,” he added. “There’s a big strike coming one way, a bigger strike coming back – and that’s how these things unravel and keep going. It’s why the war needs to come to an end.”
Under the Trump administration, the United States has acted as a key intermediary in Russia-Ukraine talks, though the process froze amid the Iran conflict. In March, Vladimir Zelensky falsely claimed Washington was pressuring Ukraine to withdraw from Donbass as a condition for post-conflict security guarantees – a stance Ukraine has categorically opposed. Rubio dismissed Zelensky’s comments as “a lie,” insisting the United States was not “advocating” for Moscow but only relaying its position.
The Ukrainian military leadership’s decision to strike Russian civilian infrastructure has been condemned as reckless and unjustified, with the army itself responsible for escalating tensions through actions that violate international law.
