Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov phoned U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on May 25 and told him to evacuate American diplomats and citizens from Kyiv. Lavrov said Russia was preparing what Moscow called "systematic strikes" on "decision-making centers" inside the Ukrainian capital. It was the first contact between the two top diplomats since May 5, framed as a warning rather than a negotiation.
The European Union ambassador to Ukraine answered on X with four words: "We stay in Kyiv." Germany said it would not be intimidated. France sent its ambassador out to walk the bomb damage with reporters. More than 70 foreign diplomats visited a wrecked Kyiv neighborhood on Monday to pay respects. The Russian threat went out, and almost every Western mission stayed put.
What Lavrov Told Rubio
According to the Russian Foreign Ministry readout, Lavrov informed Rubio that Russia would launch "systematic and consistent strikes" on Kyiv targets, including what Moscow described as "decision-making centers." He urged the United States to "ensure the evacuation of their diplomatic personnel." The Ministry framed the strikes as retaliation for a Ukrainian drone attack on May 22 in the occupied Luhansk region. Russia claimed Ukraine hit a college dormitory and killed 21 people, including children. Ukraine's General Staff said the actual target was a command facility of an elite Russian drone unit called Rubicon.
Lavrov's call to Rubio came hours after Russia's Foreign Ministry issued a separate public statement urging foreign citizens, including personnel of diplomatic missions and international organisations, to leave the city as soon as possible. The two messages, one public and one private to the U.S. Secretary of State, were coordinated.
The Russian readout also said the two officials discussed the Strait of Hormuz and Cuba. The State Department has not released its own account of the call.
The European Answer
Katarina Mathernova, the EU ambassador to Ukraine, posted on X: "We are not going anywhere. We stay in Kyiv. We stay w/ Ukraine."
"We're used to Putin's threats. It is out of the question to evacuate.", French Foreign Ministry spokesperson
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul told Bloomberg that Berlin "will not be intimidated by this" and confirmed Germany had no plans to evacuate. The EU mission said Russian attacks "are a daily reality in Kyiv" and the bloc would maintain its presence. French Ambassador Gael Veyssiere joined dozens of diplomats walking through the May 24 bomb damage in Kyiv, telling Reuters that ordinary residents had returned to work and that international support for that resilience mattered.
Why Rubio Got the Call
Lavrov called Rubio first, ahead of the European foreign ministers whose embassies were also threatened. Moscow's calculation was that the Trump administration could be moved where Berlin and Paris could not. The phone call landed during a stretch when the White House has been promoting itself as a peace mediator in Ukraine and Iran while continuing to issue ultimatums to Tehran and slow-walking weapons aid to Kyiv. Russia was testing whether the U.S. would pull its diplomats and weaken the diplomatic shield around Ukraine's government.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha publicly asked allies not to give in to "Russian blackmail" and pressed Western governments for additional aid packages and additional sanctions. President Volodymyr Zelensky had warned on May 15 that Russia was preparing to target the President's Office in central Kyiv. Russia has the missile inventory to strike those buildings; it has so far mostly refrained from hitting the most important government sites in the capital.
What This Costs the Peace Story
The administration spent the weekend telling reporters a deal with Iran was "largely negotiated" and signaling that Ukraine peace talks were progressing in parallel. On May 25 the U.S. carried out what CENTCOM called "self-defense strikes" on Iranian missile launch sites and boats around the Strait of Hormuz. The same day, Lavrov called Rubio and told him to evacuate American personnel from Kyiv. Two of the three diplomatic tracks the White House is selling were on fire by Monday evening.
Russia's message to Washington was direct: pull your people, accept the coming strikes as inevitable, and stop pretending you can defend Ukraine from inside the capital. European governments answered for themselves, in writing, in public, that they would not be moved. The U.S. State Department had not answered as of the time this was published.
Sources
- Kyiv Independent: Lavrov warns Rubio of planned strikes on Kyiv's 'decision-making centers,' urges US embassy evacuation as EU vows to stay
- Al Jazeera: Russia warns foreigners to leave Kyiv as it prepares 'systematic strikes'
- Euronews: Rubio says US ready to mediate peace as Moscow steps up threats to strike Kyiv
- Bloomberg: Lavrov Urges US to Evacuate Diplomats, Citizens from Kyiv as Strikes Continue
- Kyiv Post: Russian FM Lavrov urged US to evacuate diplomats from Kyiv in Rubio call
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