EU Countries Do Not Plan to Evacuate Their Diplomats from Kyiv

European Union member states are not planning to evacuate their diplomatic staff from Ukraine's capital, despite the threat of massive Russian strikes.

European Commission spokesman Anuar El-Anuni stated that EU countries intend to carry on without diplomatic evacuations from Kyiv. He noted that Russia is once again trying to shift the responsibility for its aggressive war onto Ukraine.

The spokesman added that Russian attacks on Kyiv and other locations in Ukraine are occurring on a daily basis. In recent years, several diplomatic missions, including the EU delegation building, have been damaged due to Russia's actions.

According to him, Russian authorities are demanding Ukraine to accept a unilateral ceasefire declared for May 8-9 in order to hold a Victory Day parade. Otherwise, the Russian Ministry of Defense has threatened to carry out massive strikes on Kyiv.

On May 7, Maria Zakharova, a representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, and Presidential Assistant Yuri Ushakov reaffirmed the ultimatum from the defense ministry. They urged maximum responsibility and the pre-evacuation of civilians and embassy staff from the capital.