A view shows the U.S. Embassy, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kiev, Ukraine, November 20, 2024.
Sergiy Karazy | Reuters
The US closed its embassy in Kiev on Wednesday and warned that it had “received specific information about a possible significant airstrike” amid rising tensions with Russia.
The U.S. Embassy said in a statement that it was closing the building “out of an abundance of caution” and directed embassy staff to shelter in place.
“The U.S. Embassy recommends that U.S. citizens be prepared to seek shelter immediately if an air alert is declared,” it added.
Asked to comment on the embassy closure on Wednesday, Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov said only that the move was “the course of the special military operation,” as Russia describes its ongoing war against Ukraine .
Air warnings in Kiev are commonplace as the Ukrainian capital regularly faces drone and missile attacks from Russia. However, the latest warning comes amid rising tensions between Moscow and Washington after reports that the White House on Sunday gave Ukraine permission to use US-made long-range missiles to attack targets on Russian territory.
On Tuesday, the Russian Defense Ministry said it intercepted five U.S.-made ATACMS missiles and destroyed another that was used by Ukraine to attack its border region of Bryansk. Ukraine has not officially commented on an attack with American long-range missiles.
The Pentagon also declined to comment when asked about the development.
However, the attack sparked an angry reaction in Moscow, with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov calling the move an “escalation” by the West.
A U.S.-made Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) is fired at an undisclosed location during joint training between the United States and South Korea, Oct. 5, 2022.
Handout | Getty Images News | Getty Images
The Kremlin has repeatedly warned the West not to allow Ukraine to use its long-range weapons against targets on Russian soil. On Tuesday, President Vladimir Putin approved changes to Russia's nuclear doctrine, changing the parameters under which Moscow can use nuclear weapons.
The updated document now states that any aggression against Russia by a non-nuclear state supported by a nuclear power will be considered a joint attack.
It also outlines that the Kremlin can use nuclear weapons in the event of a critical threat to its sovereignty and territorial integrity – and that of its ally Belarus – and that the launch of ballistic missiles against Russia would be among the conditions that could justify a nuclear response.
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Russia's foreign intelligence chief Sergei Naryshkin said on Wednesday that the West “understands that the adjustments announced by Putin largely devalue the efforts of the United States and NATO to inflict a 'strategic defeat' on our country, while the planned expansion of the list of reasons for this. “The use of nuclear weapons effectively eliminates the possibility of victory over Russian forces on the battlefield,” he said in an interview with the National Defense news agency in comments translated by NBC News.
“Our enemies must admit that the Russian president's determination to resolutely defend the country's fundamental interests by all available means limits the room for maneuver for Washington and Brussels. Attempts by individual NATO allies to get involved in providing possible long-term measures – “Long-range attacks with Western weapons deep into Russian territory will not go unpunished,” he added.
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