Russia’s Lavrov tells Rubio Americans should leave Kyiv

Russia said on Tuesday its government has warned U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to evacuate diplomats and American citizens from Kyiv, as Moscow plots fresh 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 Monday, according to the Russian government.  

CNBC reached out to the U.S. and Ukrainian governments for comment.

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, with a focus on facilities for designing, manufacturing, and programming drones.

“The strikes will target decision-making centers and command posts,” the statement said.

“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.”

Russia’s government also warned Kyiv’s residents not to use military or government facilities and infrastructure.

Lavrov highlighted the warning to Rubio during Monday’s call, the Russian foreign ministry said.  

In a read-out of the conversation, U.S. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said 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 was said to have “expressed regret” at the impasse over a Russia-Ukraine peace deal, according to Russia’s foreign ministry.

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.

The talks reached a stalemate after months of diplomacy, with concessions of Ukrainian territory to Russia remaining a sticking point.

Earlier this month, both U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin said they could see the conflict ending soon.

“The end of the war ​in Ukraine I ​really think it’s getting ‌very ⁠close,” Trump told reporters at the time.

However, Rubio told journalists on Friday 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.

Before returning to the White House for his second presidential term, Trump said he would be able to resolve the Ukraine war in a day.

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

In 2014, Russia invaded and annexed Crimea, a peninsula in southern Ukraine. In the same year, armed conflict erupted in eastern Ukraine between government forces and Russian-backed separatists.

Kyiv has been repeatedly targeted by Russian strikes since the 2022 invasion. Over the weekend, the city was hit with fresh attacks, including what was reported to be one of the biggest missile launches on the city since the war began.