Rubio fires back at Russia's bold call to pull diplomats out of Kyiv
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (photo: Getty Images)
Russia constantly strikes Kyiv and urges foreign diplomats to leave the Ukrainian capital. The United States will decide for itself when to do so, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said during his press conference.
"Russia has been urging foreign diplomacy to leave the house for months. We have an embassy presence there, and we'll make the determination about whether it's safe for them to be there or not," he emphasized.
Rubio noted that the United States would reconsider its decision if the situation changes and diplomats face a genuine threat.
"We analyze the safety of every diplomatic mission in the world, and if a threat arises that we feel needs to be addressed by a change of posture, we'll do so," the US Secretary of State said.
Background
Previously, The Guardian reported that Western embassies are preparing contingency plans to relocate their missions from Kyiv to Lviv or Poland. The relocation would take place if Russia begins deliberately targeting foreign diplomatic missions.
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said they had not received any such requests or notifications from foreign diplomatic missions about relocation plans.
He said a clear procedure exists for making such decisions. In particular, foreign missions notify the authorities in advance when making such decisions.
Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered intensified attacks on Kyiv in an attempt to force Ukrainians to leave the capital.
The head of state stressed that this was exactly what the Kremlin wanted at the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
