The European Union is maintaining the number of its diplomatic mission in Kyiv, despite calls from the Russian Federation’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the early evacuation of foreign diplomats from the Ukrainian capital due to the threat of escalation on May 9.
This is reported by Finway
Position of the European Commission and response to Russian threats
European Commission spokesperson Anouar El Anouini emphasized that the EU has no intention of changing its position or reducing its presence in Kyiv. He highlighted that Russian attacks have become a daily reality for both Kyiv and other regions of Ukraine. The EC representative also did not comment on whether the current risk is considered higher than before.
“We will not change our position or presence in Kyiv. Russian attacks, unfortunately, are a daily reality both in Kyiv and in other parts of Ukraine,” said European Commission spokesperson Anouar El Anouini in response to a question from Radio Free Europe.
El Anouini added that the open threats from Russia regarding possible attacks are merely another attempt to intimidate and exert pressure, and he regarded such behavior as part of an irresponsible escalation tactic.
Russian threats and Ukraine’s response
On May 6, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova informed that foreign diplomatic missions and representatives of international organizations received a note demanding the fastest possible evacuation of staff from Kyiv. She also threatened “irreversible” strikes on Kyiv, particularly on “decision-making centers,” if Russia is attacked on May 9. However, foreign embassies have not reported any intention to evacuate personnel from Ukraine at this time.
On May 4, the Russian Ministry of Defense unilaterally announced a ceasefire on May 8 and 9, but threatened large-scale shelling of Kyiv if Ukraine attempts to “disrupt the celebration of Victory Day” in Moscow.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky responded by stating that Kyiv had not received any official requests for a ceasefire and initiated a silence regime starting from midnight on May 6. However, Russia violated the agreement by shelling Ukrainian territory.