As of 5 October, the United States has no plans to evacuate its embassy in Kyiv or to alter its operating procedures following fresh Russian threats against foreign diplomats. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Washington assesses the security of its missions on a daily basis and will take a different course of action if the threat so requires.
Briefly about the main points
- Washington has not taken a decision to evacuate its diplomatic mission.
- Rubio linked the possible changes to an assessment of the actual threats.
- The Russian Foreign Ministry has called on foreigners and diplomats to leave Ukraine.
- Ukraine has not received any requests from missions regarding relocation.
- The EU has confirmed that the embassies of 25 countries will continue to operate in Kyiv.
Washington will determine the format of the mission’s work itself
Rubio. said that United States The security situation around every diplomatic mission worldwide is analysed on a daily basis. Decisions regarding the operation of the embassy in the Ukrainian capital, Washington, will be taken independently, based on its own risk assessment.
According to the Secretary of State, the working arrangements may be reviewed should a threat arise that warrants such measures. He added that Russia has been issuing warnings to foreign diplomats for several months now, and that the US has long been aware of the regular attacks on Kyiv.
The State Department’s current travel advisory for Ukraine, updated on 28 August, maintains a «do not travel» advisory due to the war. At the same time, it states that the US Embassy in Kyiv It is open and operational, although its staff face travel restrictions and may be limited in the consular assistance they can provide outside the capital.
Russia has combined a call to leave with a promise to continue its attacks
On 3 October, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Russian troops would continue to carry out strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities. At the same time, the ministry urged foreign nationals and staff of diplomatic missions not to remain in Ukraine.
The Russian Foreign Ministry also stated that responsibility for any consequences faced by those who ignore its warnings would allegedly lie with them alone. Moscow describes its attacks as strikes on military targets, but in recent days transport and other urban infrastructure in Kyiv have been damaged.
In particular, the Russian The strikes damaged the North Bridge. The day before, air strikes had led to the partial closure of three bridges across the Dnipro, which hampered traffic in the city.
Embassies of other countries are also continuing to operate in the capital
On 2 October, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that it had not received any official notifications from foreign diplomatic missions regarding their intention to leave Kyiv or relocate their operations elsewhere. In the spring, when Russia had already made similar demands, the US mission also continued to operate as normal.
On 5 October, the European External Action Service stated that the embassies of EU Member States would continue to operate in Kyiv. According to the EU, the diplomatic missions of 25 Member States and the European Union Advisory Mission are operating in the capital.
EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Maternova She referred to the Vienna Conventions, which govern the work of diplomatic missions, and warned Russia against testing their limits. The future format of the US mission’s operations will depend on Washington’s assessment of the threats.
