As diplomatic talks over Ukraine stall and tensions with Russia escalate, the US has ordered family members of its diplomats to leave Ukraine and advised all US citizens to do the same, citing “the increased threat of Russian military action.”
Due to the continued threat of Russian military action, the US State Department authorised the “voluntary departure” of US direct hire employees and “ordered the departure of eligible family members” from its embassy in Kiev in a statement issued Sunday night.
Citizens of the United States in Ukraine should “consider departing now using commercial or other privately available transportation options,” according to the advisory.
“There are reports that Russia is preparing a major military strike against Ukraine. The security situation in Ukraine, particularly along its borders, in Russia-occupied Crimea, and in Russia-controlled eastern Ukraine, is unpredictably unstable and can deteriorate at any time. Demonstrations, some of which have turned violent, are held on a regular basis across Ukraine, including in Kiev.”
The advisory also cautioned US citizens that “Russian military action anywhere in Ukraine would severely impact” the American embassy’s ability to provide consular services, including assistance to citizens departing Ukraine.
The warning comes after US Vice President Joe Biden stated last week that he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin will invade Ukraine. It also comes amid ongoing diplomatic talks between the US and Russia, most recently in Geneva, where Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with his Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, that have yet to yield a breakthrough – during the talks, Blinken agreed to write US responses to Russian security proposals, while reiterating the US demand that Russia de-escalate its military presence along Ukraine’s borders.
It also comes after the UK claimed, based on intelligence assessments, that Moscow was planning to destabilise the Ukrainian government and install a pro-Russian leader in power.
According to a report in The New York Times, Biden met with his national security team at Camp David over the weekend to review the situation, where the administration considered sending 1,000 to 5,000 troops to NATO allies in eastern Europe, with the option of increasing the number 10-fold.
“These decisions were made out of an abundance of caution due to continued Russian efforts to destabilise the country and undermine the security of Ukrainian citizens and others visiting or residing in Ukraine,” a senior state department official said following the advisory.
The official said that if Biden’s statement that military action could happen at any time was true, the US government would be unable to evacuate its citizens.
However, the official added that while these decisions were made for the safety of the country’s citizens and government employees, they do not jeopardise the US’s support for Ukraine, and that the embassy would remain open. “We are assisting Ukraine with new lethal defensive security assistance, including ammunition for Ukraine’s front-line defenders, in addition to our diplomatic coordination.” The first of several shipments worth $200 million for Ukrainian armed forces arrived in Kiev on January 22, with more to follow in the coming weeks. With this new authorization, the US has committed more than $650 million in security assistance to Ukraine in the last year, bringing the total amount of US security assistance to Ukraine to more than $2.7 billion since 2014.”
“I can say for my part, this is very much a decision that is focused on the situation in Ukraine and what is best for embassy Kiev and American citizens in Ukraine,” the senior official quoted above said when asked if the experience in Afghanistan – where the sudden Taliban takeover left many stranded, provoking widespread criticism of the Biden administration back home – had prompted the advisory.
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