US Reopens Kyiv Embassy after Three-Month Closure

The US flag is raised for the first time after American diplomats returned to the US embassy in Kyiv, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, May 18, 2022. (Reuters)
The US flag is raised for the first time after American diplomats returned to the US embassy in Kyiv, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, May 18, 2022. (Reuters)
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US Reopens Kyiv Embassy after Three-Month Closure

The US flag is raised for the first time after American diplomats returned to the US embassy in Kyiv, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, May 18, 2022. (Reuters)
The US flag is raised for the first time after American diplomats returned to the US embassy in Kyiv, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, May 18, 2022. (Reuters)

The US embassy in Kyiv reopened on Wednesday after a three-month closure due to Russia's Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine.

"We are officially reopening operations," spokesperson Daniel Langenkamp told Reuters shortly before the US flag was raised above the embassy.

He said a small number of diplomats would return initially to staff the mission.

Consular operations will not resume immediately and a no travel advisory from the State Department remains in place across Ukraine, Langenkamp said.

The US embassy closed on Feb. 14, ten days before Russia launched a full-scale invasion. Embassy staff spent the first two months of the war in Poland, but Charge d’Affaires Kristina Kvien returned to the country on May 2, visiting the western city of Lviv.

Many western countries, including France, Germany and Britain have reopened their embassies in Kyiv over the past month, after Russian troops pulled back from Ukraine's north to focus on an offensive in the east of the country.



Khamenei Says Israel Initiated a War as Iran Fires Missiles in Retaliation

 Smoke rises after a missile attack in Tel Aviv, Israel, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)
Smoke rises after a missile attack in Tel Aviv, Israel, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)
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Khamenei Says Israel Initiated a War as Iran Fires Missiles in Retaliation

 Smoke rises after a missile attack in Tel Aviv, Israel, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)
Smoke rises after a missile attack in Tel Aviv, Israel, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said in a statement on Friday that Israel initiated a war and said it will not be allowed to do "hit and run" attacks without grave consequences.

"The Zionist regime (Israel) will not remain unscathed from the consequences of its crime. The Iranian nation must be guaranteed that our response will not be half-measured," Khamenei said in a statement.

Israel launched blistering attacks on the heart of Iran's nuclear and military structure Friday, deploying warplanes and drones previously smuggled into the country to attack key facilities and kill top generals and scientists -- a barrage it said was necessary before its adversary got any closer to building an atomic weapon.

Iran’s state news agency reported that Iran fired hundreds of ballistic missiles toward Israel as part of its retaliation for Israel's Friday attack.

IRNA said the Iranian military had dubbed its operation "Severe Punishment."

Explosions were heard over Tel Aviv and Jerusalem as sirens sounded across Israel following what the country's military spokesman said was the firing of missiles from Iran. 

The ongoing military and intelligence operation raised the potential for all-out war between Iran and Israel and propelled the region, already on edge, into even greater upheaval.