Western diplomats dismissed Russia’s ultimatum for an immediate evacuation from Kyiv, while analysts link these new threats from Moscow to a shift in the battlefield situation in favor of the Ukrainian military.
Kremlin dictator Volodymyr Putin / © TSN.ua
The United States and several European countries categorically rejected Moscow’s warning about the need to evacuate their citizens and diplomats from Kyiv on the eve of new massive attacks. Western analysts attribute such sharp threats from the Kremlin to the changing situation on the battlefield, where initiative is gradually shifting to the Ukrainian military.
This is reported by CBS News.
The West’s reaction to Russian blackmail
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation threatened to deliver systematic strikes on military-industrial complex enterprises in Kyiv, urging foreign diplomatic missions’ personnel to leave the Ukrainian capital immediately. Moscow attempted to justify this statement by an alleged drone strike by Ukrainian drones on occupied Luhansk; however, the US, Germany, Poland, and the EU decisively rejected the Russian demands, unanimously refusing to evacuate their representations.
“We are not going anywhere! Russia wants fear, panic, and isolation of Ukraine, but it will not work,” emphasized the EU Ambassador to Ukraine, Katarina Mathernova.
Changing situation at the front
Analysts at the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) are convinced that such escalation and sharp statements from Moscow are occurring against the backdrop of the nature of the war gradually changing in favor of Ukrainian forces. Experts note that the occupying army’s territorial gains are approaching zero, while Ukraine is successfully challenging positional warfare, though Russia continues to exploit the deficit of air defense systems.
“We are working with all our partners on air defense for Ukraine – this is the first priority,” stated President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
It is worth recalling that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, “officially conveyed to the American side” information about “systematic and consistent” strikes on Kyiv. However, Rubio, unlike his European colleagues, did not condemn Russia’s terrorist acts.
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