News Desk :
The US State Department has ordered US embassy staff to leave Ukraine as Western intelligence officials warn that a Russian invasion of Ukraine is increasingly imminent.
The State Department announced that all non-emergency American staff at the Kyiv embassy will be required to leave the country ahead of a feared Russian invasion.
“Despite the reduction in diplomatic staff, the core embassy team, our dedicated Ukrainian colleagues and US personnel around the world will continue relentless diplomatic and assistance efforts in support of Ukraine’s security, democracy, and prosperity,” it said on Twitter.
The department had earlier ordered families of US embassy staffers in Kyiv to leave. But it had left it to the discretion of non-essential personnel if they wanted to depart. The new move comes as Washington has ratcheted up its warnings about a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine. Earlier, the United States advised their nationals to leave Ukraine amid the possibility of a military operation by Russia.
A Russian invasion of Ukraine “could begin at any time” including during the Beijing Winter Olympics, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Friday.
“We continue to see signs of Russian escalation including new forces arriving at the Ukrainian border,” Sullivan told reporters at the White House.
“An invasion could begin at any time should Vladimir Putin decide to order it,” he said. “It could begin during the Olympics despite a lot of speculation that it will only happen after the Olympics,” he added.
Sullivan told the US nationals in Ukraine to leave in the next 24-48 hours or as soon as possible as there may be no future opportunities to leave if Russia invades.
Meanwhile, the UK’s Foreign Office “now advises against all travel to Ukraine. British nationals in Ukraine should leave now while commercial means are still available,” it said in an update on its website.
The Foreign Office said in a statement: “The safety and security of British nationals is our top priority, which is why we have updated our travel advice. We urge British nationals in Ukraine to leave now via commercial means while they remain available.”
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday told Western allies that “he feared for the security of Europe” due to the ongoing crisis on the Russia-Ukraine border, his Downing Street office said.
Johnson joined a call with United States President Joe Biden and other world leaders, telling them “that he feared for the security of Europe in the current circumstances.”
Besides, more and more countries have begun urging their citizens to leave Ukraine including Germany, Canada, Norway, Lithuania, Japan, New Zealand and the Netherlands following the US and the UK.
The crisis between Russia and Ukraine is escalating, but Germany is making all efforts to find a diplomatic solution, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Saturday.
“We must be prepared for all scenarios,” Baerbock said during a news conference in Cairo.
She was speaking as Berlin urged citizens to leave Ukraine and ahead of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s visit to Ukraine and Russia for talks next week.
Dutch foreign minister Wopke Hoekstra called on Dutch citizens on Saturday to leave Ukraine as soon as possible due to the security situation there and issued a notice advising against travelling to the country.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during a phone call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused Washington of waging a “propaganda campaign” about possible Russian aggression, the Russian foreign ministry said on Saturday.
Russia has built up military forces near Ukraine, fuelling fears it may invade. Moscow denies such plans.In a readout of Saturday’s phone call with Blinken, Lavrov also said that Washington and Brussels had ignored key Russian security demands.
Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a bitter conflict since 2014 when Ukraine’s Kremlin-friendly leader was driven from office by a popular uprising. Moscow responded by annexing Crimea and then backing a separatist insurgency in eastern Ukraine, where fighting has killed over 14,000 people.
A 2015 peace deal brokered by France and Germany helped halt large-scale battles, but regular skirmishes have continued, and efforts to reach a political settlement have stalled.
