BRUSSELS, May 26 (Reuters) – Several European nations and the European Union called in Russian diplomatic officials Tuesday following Moscow’s warnings for foreign nationals and diplomatic personnel to evacuate Ukraine’s capital amid threats of renewed attacks.
Russian officials announced Monday their plans to target Ukrainian military installations and government decision-making facilities in Kyiv, coming just one day after launching one of the most intense bombing campaigns against the city since the conflict started.
The European Union’s foreign affairs department called in Russia’s chargé d’affaires, according to the bloc’s foreign policy spokesperson on Tuesday.
Russia’s “threat to foreign citizens & diplomats to leave Kyiv is an unacceptable escalation”, spokesperson Anitta Hipper said in a post on X, calling for Moscow to “stop hitting civilians”.
The EU’s delegation is remaining in Kyiv, the spokesperson added.
Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said he had summoned Russia’s ambassador Nikolai Korchunov to address “the explicit threats against foreign personnel in Ukraine”.
Sweden on Monday evening summoned the Russian ambassador to “condemn Russia’s false claims of airspace violations in the Nordic-Baltic region and Russia’s threats against Latvia and other countries in the region”.
