Overview
- The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv posted on May 28 that it is open and that there have been no changes to operations, calling reports of an evacuation false and stressing the State Department regularly reviews security posture.
- Moscow formally urged diplomats and foreign citizens to leave Kyiv on May 25, warning they risked being hit by strikes, a move that prompted several EU states to summon Russia’s envoy in protest.
- EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said U.S. diplomats had left Kyiv, a remark that Brussels later clarified as incorrect and traced by reporting to a likely misinterpretation of a preplanned trip by U.S. Charge d’Affaires Julie S. Davis to Lviv.
- The confusion followed a massive Russian missile and drone salvo on May 24 that struck wide areas of Kyiv, killed at least two people and injured dozens, a strike that heightened concern about the safety of diplomats and civilians.
- The episode underscores that allied missions are maintaining a public stance of presence while continuing routine security reviews, reinforcing U.S. travel warnings for Americans and raising questions about how partners share near-real-time security information.