Russian officials reported that Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke by phone on Monday with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to lay out Moscow's rationale for planned strikes on targets in Kyiv, according to comments by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov cited by the RIA news agency on Tuesday.
On Monday, Russia announced it would carry out systematic strikes on sites in Kyiv that Moscow describes as linked to the Ukrainian military and to decision-making centers. The declaration followed what Russia said was a deliberate Ukrainian drone attack on a student dormitory in Russian-controlled Luhansk that killed at least 21 people.
Russian statements on Tuesday indicated that Moscow expects a measured and responsible response from the United States to the decision to strike Kyiv, RIA reported. At the same time, Russian officials said they would like to increase the frequency of meetings with U.S. counterparts to try to remove mutual irritants, though Interfax quoted Moscow as saying there has been no progress on major issues.
Officials in Moscow also said on Tuesday that there are currently no arrangements for a visit by American representatives to Russia. In addition, TASS reported that Russia sees no requirement for changes in U.S. policy toward Russia at this time.
Context and developments reported:
- Lavrov conveyed Moscow's justification for the planned Kyiv strikes to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a Monday telephone conversation, according to deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov as cited by RIA.
- Russia tied the planned strikes to the Ukrainian military and centers of decision-making, framing them as a response to a drone strike on a dormitory in Luhansk that left at least 21 dead, per Russian statements.
- Moscow signaled it hopes for a responsible U.S. response and expressed interest in more frequent talks, while also saying no progress has been made on core issues and no U.S. visit to Moscow is scheduled, according to Interfax and TASS.
Note: The information in this report reflects statements and reports attributed to Russian officials and Russian state news agencies as described above.