EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaia Kallas said that the US embassy left Ukraine amid Russia's threats of new attacks on Kyiv. At the same time, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry denies this information.
Points of attention
- The conflicting statements by EU High Representative Kaia Kallas and the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry regarding the departure of the US embassy from Kyiv have caused confusion and controversy.
- The European Union and several other countries condemned Russian threats to embassies in Ukraine, highlighting the escalating tensions in the region.
Kallas made an ambiguous statement regarding the US Embassy in Ukraine
"Yesterday, information came from Ukraine that all embassies, except for one, remained in place. This also testifies to the courage of the employees of these embassies. But yes, all European diplomats are staying. The Americans have left," Kallas said during a conversation with journalists.
When asked how the European Union assesses the threat of strikes on Kyiv and embassies, the diplomat replied that Russia resorts to such actions because it is "actually not making any progress" on the battlefield.
So now they are increasing terrorist attacks — you can't call it anything else — and spreading fear in society. It hasn't worked for years, and I don't think it will work now.
Kaia Callas
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
Later, the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Heorhiy Tykhyi, stated in a comment to journalists that the information about the departure of the US embassy is not true.
Dmytro Lytvyn, communications advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, called the situation "strange" because Ukraine should not interpret the words of the head of EU diplomacy about the United States.
Perhaps they were referring to the circumstances before the attack on Sunday night. We heard that American diplomats left Kyiv at that time. In any case, Ukraine is grateful to all embassies working in Kyiv.
Later, the US Embassy in Kyiv stated that there were no changes in their work. Reports to the contrary are false.
On the eve of the meeting, nearly 50 UN member states condemned Russian threats to embassies in Ukraine in a joint statement. Among the signatories of the document: European countries, Japan, South Korea and others. The United States did not support the statement.
On May 24, Russian troops inflicted the largest blow on Kyiv in terms of the number of damaged locations since the beginning of the war — about 300 objects were damaged, including dozens of high-rise buildings, museums, government agencies, educational institutions, shopping centers, the Lukyanivska metro station, etc. It is known that 91 people were injured and two people died, and work to eliminate the consequences of the attack is ongoing.
