There are no changes to our operations, reports to the contrary are false - US embassy

The US Embassy in Ukraine said it continues to operate in Kyiv and that reports of its departure are false.

"The US Embassy is open. There are no changes to our operations, and reports to the contrary are false. There is no higher priority for the State Department than the safety and security of US citizens, so we regularly review the security situation of the US Embassy in Kyiv," the embassy said on X.

The diplomatic mission stressed that US citizens should not travel to Ukraine "for any reason due to the armed conflict."

Earlier, Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhy denied reports that the US embassy had left Kyiv over Russian threats to continue strikes on the Ukrainian capital.

Media outlets on Thursday circulated remarks by EU High Representative Kaja Kallas, who told journalists upon arrival at an informal meeting of foreign ministers in Limassol (Cyprus): "We heard from Ukraine… that all the embassies stayed except one… All the Europeans stayed, America left."

For his part, Presidential Communications Advisor Dmytro Lytvyn told reporters: "It is generally a strange situation that Ukraine apparently has to provide an interpretation of the EU’s top diplomat’s words about the United States. Of course, we always express our views on various international topics, but this is more a question for them—what they say and who is going where or not. Perhaps it was a reference to circumstances before that strike on Sunday night… we heard that American diplomats left Kyiv then. In any case, Ukraine is grateful to all the embassies that work in Kyiv and support Ukraine."