- The US State Department has ordered the families of diplomats to leave the US Embassy in Kyiv.
- This was initially stated in media reports in view of the increasing tensions in the Ukraine crisis and was later confirmed by the government.
- At the same time, the departure of employees who are not immediately required was approved. There had already been speculation about these steps.
These are “precautionary measures,” said a high-ranking official at the ministry. The ministry did not say how many staff in the US embassy will be affected by the changes. When asked why this decision was being made now of all times, the ministry referred to the warning from the White House that a Russian invasion could occur at any time.
The US government continues to follow the path of diplomacy, but should Russia decide to escalate further, security conditions are unpredictable and could deteriorate in a short period of time, the official said. “We don’t know if he’s already decided to invade, but he’s building military capabilities along Ukraine’s borders,” she said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
US citizens who have been in Ukraine should consider leaving the country now using commercial or other privately available transportation, it said. The ministry also made it clear that there would be no evacuation action in the event of an invasion of Russia. As recently as Saturday, the US State Department said there was “nothing to announce” about the evacuation of families from embassy staff.