The European External Action Service has called in Russia’s chargé d’affaires after Moscow urged foreign diplomats to leave Kyiv ahead of threatened strikes, prompting a coordinated response from Brussels, Warsaw and Kyiv.
The European Union has summoned Russia’s chargé d’affaires after Moscow issued new warnings to foreign diplomats and foreign nationals in Kyiv, urging them to leave the Ukrainian capital ahead of threatened strikes.
The diplomatic protest was confirmed by European Commission foreign affairs spokesperson Anitta Hipper, who said the European External Action Service had called in Russia’s representative and urged Moscow to halt attacks on civilians and begin genuine peace negotiations, starting with a full and unconditional ceasefire. The EU Delegation remains in Kyiv despite the threats, a position reinforced by EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarína Mathernová, who said the bloc was “not going anywhere”.
🇷🇺 threat to foreign citizens & diplomats to leave Kyiv is an unacceptable escalation. @eu_eeas summoned the Chargé d’Affairs, calling to stop hitting civilians & 🇷🇺 to engage in genuine peace talks starting with a full and unconditional ceasefire. @EUDelegationUA stays in Kyiv.
— Anitta Hipper (@ExtSpoxEU) May 26, 2026
The Russian warning followed a call between Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Lavrov informed Washington that Moscow intended to strike sites in Kyiv which Russia claims are linked to Ukraine’s armed forces and military command structures.
Lavrov–Rubio Call Signals Moscow’s Attempt to Reframe Strikes on Kyiv
Moscow has presented the threatened attacks as retaliation for alleged Ukrainian actions in Russian-occupied territory. It also urged foreign citizens and diplomatic staff to leave Kyiv, framing the warning as a safety measure. In Brussels and Kyiv, however, the message was treated as a political threat rather than a routine military notification.
Mathernová rejected Moscow’s warning in direct terms, saying that Russia was again threatening diplomats and foreigners while asking them to leave Kyiv. She said the EU would remain in the Ukrainian capital and continue standing with Ukraine. The EU Neighbours East service reported her comments under the headline “We are not going anywhere”, underscoring the political significance of continued diplomatic presence in Kyiv.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Russia’s threats were intended to intimidate Western diplomats and foreign missions. Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry also stated that the overall level of threat to Kyiv remained consistent with the pattern of Russian missile and drone attacks already faced by the capital. Coverage by Ukrainska Pravda reported that Kyiv regarded the Russian messaging as part of an attempt to apply psychological pressure on Ukraine’s partners.
Poland issued one of the strongest national responses. The Polish Foreign Ministry said any Russian strike on Polish diplomatic or consular missions would be treated as deliberate and intentional. In a formal statement, Warsaw called on Russia to cease its aggression against Ukraine and warned of consequences under international law if Polish diplomatic premises were hit.
The warning also came after renewed Russian attacks on Ukraine. The Associated Press reported that Russia had maintained strikes on Ukrainian territory while Kyiv was told to prepare for a possible major barrage. The same report noted that Western missions, including the EU, France and Poland, had indicated they would stay in Kyiv despite Moscow’s call for foreign nationals and diplomats to leave the city.
The EU’s response is significant because diplomatic missions in Kyiv have remained operational for much of Russia’s full-scale war, despite recurring missile and drone attacks. A Russian demand that foreign diplomats leave the capital would, if acted upon, reduce the visible international presence in Ukraine and amplify the political effect of Moscow’s military threats.
By summoning the Russian chargé d’affaires, the European External Action Service placed the issue into the formal diplomatic record. It also linked the protest to the EU’s wider demand for an end to attacks on civilians and the start of a full and unconditional ceasefire.
The timing is relevant. Russia’s threats come as European governments continue to debate further military, financial and sanctions measures in support of Ukraine. Pressure on diplomatic missions in Kyiv may therefore be read not only as a warning about possible strikes, but also as an attempt to raise the perceived cost of maintaining Western representation in Ukraine.
So far, the response from Brussels, Warsaw and Kyiv has been consistent: Western diplomatic missions will remain in Kyiv, Russian threats are being rejected, and Moscow is being told to stop attacks rather than issue warnings before new ones. The episode adds another diplomatic layer to the war, but it has not produced the withdrawal of the foreign missions Moscow sought to pressure.
