US Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared on Tuesday that Washington remains willing to mediate in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, as Moscow escalated its rhetoric and threatened fresh strikes on Kyiv. Speaking to reporters during an official visit to New Delhi, Rubio emphasized the urgency of ending a war that has now surpassed the duration of the Second World War.
“Every time you see these big strikes from one side or the other, it's a reminder of why this is a terrible war that's now gone on longer than the Second World War, and it needs to come to an end,” Rubio said. “The US stands ready and prepared to help do whatever we can to help facilitate the end of this war, and hopefully the opportunity will present itself at some point.”
Moscow’s Warning and Weekend Barrage
Russia’s warning, which included a call for foreign diplomats to flee Kyiv, marks a significant escalation in the more than four-year conflict. Moscow has vowed to launch “systematic” strikes on the Ukrainian capital, targeting what it describes as “decision-making centres” and military-industrial facilities. The weekend assault involved dozens of drones and missiles, including the Oreshnik hypersonic missile, which Russia claims can travel ten times the speed of sound and carry nuclear warheads. The attacks killed four people and caused widespread damage across Kyiv.
In Odesa, an overnight Russian strike killed a 45-year-old man, according to regional official Sergii Krasylenko. These attacks followed Russian accusations that Ukraine struck a vocational school in the occupied Luhansk region, killing 21 people. President Vladimir Putin subsequently ordered the military to retaliate.
“Under the current circumstances, the Russian Armed Forces are starting to launch systematic strikes against Ukrainian military-industrial facilities in Kyiv,” Russia’s foreign ministry said in a statement. “The strikes will target both decision-making centres and command posts… We are warning foreign citizens, including personnel of diplomatic missions and international organisations, to leave the city as soon as possible.”
Diplomatic Reactions and European Stance
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov relayed this warning to Rubio during a phone call on Monday, urging the evacuation of US diplomats. Rubio confirmed that Russia had sent notices to all embassies, not just the US mission. However, Western diplomatic missions in Kyiv have rejected the warnings. A spokesperson for France’s foreign ministry stated, “We're used to Putin's threats. It is out of the question to evacuate.” The European Union’s ambassador in Kyiv posted on Facebook, “We are not going anywhere.”
Ukraine downplayed the threats as mere rhetoric. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said, “We are now telling our partners that they should not give in to all this Russian blackmail.” The conflict, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, has become Europe’s deadliest since World War II, with no end in sight despite repeated international mediation efforts.
For more on the ongoing attacks, see our coverage of Russian Overnight Strikes on Kyiv Kill One, Injure Over Twenty and Moscow Orders Foreigners Out of Kyiv as New Wave of Strikes Looms.
