US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington remains prepared to mediate between Russia and Ukraine despite fresh Russian strikes on Kyiv, as renewed attacks underscored the fragile state of efforts to end the war.
Moscow launched a major strike on the Ukrainian capital on Sunday, days after Russia warned it could target Kyiv again, including what it described as “decision-making centers”. The escalation comes as US-led diplomatic efforts to broker an end to the conflict have slowed amid the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.
Speaking during his four-day visit to India, Rubio said the United States remained willing to facilitate peace negotiations despite the latest violence.
“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 after a phone call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
“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,” he added.
According to Russia’s foreign ministry, Lavrov urged the US to evacuate diplomats from its embassy in Kyiv during the call. Rubio later clarified that Moscow had issued warnings to all foreign embassies in the Ukrainian capital and not solely to the United States.
At the same time, Russia said on Monday that it intended to carry out further strikes on Kyiv and repeatedly called on foreigners and diplomats to leave the city.
The renewed warnings followed a weekend barrage of drones and missiles targeting the Ukrainian capital. The attacks reportedly killed four people, injured dozens and caused damage across several areas of Kyiv.
Diplomatic talks aimed at ending the conflict, which had been pushed by Washington in recent months, have increasingly been overshadowed by the intensifying crisis in West Asia, slowing momentum towards a negotiated settlement.
