JAKARTA - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov urged the United States to evacuate its diplomats from the embassy in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, during a telephone call with his counterpart Marco Rubio on Monday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
"On May 25, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio," the ministry said in a statement, launching Al Arabiya and AFP (26/5).
"Sergey Lavrov drew attention to the statement of the Russian foreign ministry of May 25, which recommended that the United States, together with other countries that have missions in Kyiv, ensure the evacuation of diplomatic personnel and other citizens from the Ukrainian capital," he added.
Earlier, Russia said on Monday it planned to launch more attacks on Kyiv, including on "decision-making centers" and reiterated calls for foreign nationals and diplomats to leave the city.
Russia launched dozens of drones and missiles into Ukraine over the weekend, killing four people, wounding dozens more, and causing damage across Kyiv.
Among the weapons Russia is using is the Oreshnik hypersonic missile, which can travel 10 times the speed of sound and is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, according to Moscow.
The attack came days after Russia accused Kyiv of attacking a vocational school in the Russian-occupied Luhansk region, killing 21 people.
President Vladimir Putin then ordered the Russian military to retaliate against the attack.
Russia had previously called on foreign nationals and diplomats to evacuate Kyiv earlier this month, threatening a massive attack on central Kyiv if Ukraine disrupted a military parade on Red Square.
Meanwhile, Ukraine described Russia's threats as "rhetoric."
"We are now telling our partners that they should not give in to all this Russian blackmail," said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.
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