War in Ukraine: Washington says it is ready for mediation

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that Washington remains ready to mediate in the war between Russia and Ukraine, after Moscow threatened to launch new strikes on Kyiv.

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Russia’s warning, accompanied by a call for foreign diplomats to leave the Ukrainian capital, marks a new escalation in this war which has lasted for more than four years, with Moscow promising “systematic” attacks against Kyiv, including against “decision-making centers”.

Rubio’s offer came after Russia pounded Ukraine over the weekend, including firing its Oreshnik hypersonic missile, and following a phone call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

« Every time we see these massive strikes from one side or the other, it’s a reminder of what a terrible war this is, which has now lasted longer than World War II, and which must end. ” Rubio told reporters during an official visit to India.

“The United States is ready and willing to do everything in its power to facilitate an end to this war, and we hope that the opportunity will present itself at some point.” HAS”

The Russian salvo over the weekend, involving dozens of drones and missiles, left four dead and caused significant damage throughout the Ukrainian capital.

Among the weapons used by Russia was its Oreshnik hypersonic missile, capable, according to Moscow, of flying at ten times the speed of sound and carrying nuclear warheads.

A nighttime Russian strike killed a 45-year-old man in Odesa, regional manager Sergii Krasylenko said early Tuesday on Telegram.

The strikes came after Russia accused Ukraine of striking a vocational school in the Luhansk region occupied by Russian forces, killing 21 people. Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his army to respond.

“In the current circumstances, the Russian Armed Forces are beginning to launch systematic strikes against the facilities of the Ukrainian military-industrial industry in Kyiv,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

“The strikes will target both decision-making centers and command posts… We warn foreign nationals, including staff of diplomatic missions and international organizations, to leave the city as soon as possible,” he added.

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, Lavrov relayed this warning to Rubio in a phone call on Monday, urging him to evacuate American diplomats.

Asked about this, Rubio told reporters on Tuesday that Russia had “sent a note to all the embassies,” and not just to the American mission.

“We are not leaving”

Russia had already called on foreign nationals and diplomats to evacuate Kyiv earlier this month, when it threatened to launch massive strikes on the center of the city if Ukraine disrupted the military parade in Moscow’s Red Square.

Western diplomatic missions present in the city rejected these two warnings.

A spokeswoman for the French Foreign Ministry said Monday: “We are used to threats from Putin. Evacuation is out of the question. HAS”

The European Union ambassador to Kyiv wrote on Facebook: “We are not leaving. HAS”

Ukraine has dismissed Russian threats as mere rhetoric.

“We are telling our partners today that they must not give in to this Russian blackmail,” declared Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.

Russia launched its large-scale offensive against Ukraine in February 2022. The conflict has since become the deadliest in Europe since World War II.

US-brokered talks aimed at ending the fighting have stalled in recent months due to the conflict in Iran.