Due to the “increased” threat, the US Embassy in Ukraine “urged” Americans in the country to leave without delay.
The US Embassy in Kiev on Wednesday “urged” US citizens in Ukraine to leave the country without delay due to the “increased” threat of a Russian invasion.
“The United States Embassy urges American citizens to consider leaving now,” the embassy said on its website. “The security situation in Ukraine continues to be unpredictable due to the heightened threat of Russian military action and may deteriorate without notice.”
Washington announced on Sunday the recall of certain diplomats and their families, before the United Kingdom on Monday, then Canada on Tuesday. A decision, however, considered “premature” and “excessive” by the Ukrainian authorities.
Tensions around Ukraine have risen sharply in recent weeks.
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Negotiations in Paris
Russia is accused by the West of having massed tens of thousands of soldiers on the Ukrainian border and of preparing an imminent invasion of its neighbor.
The Kremlin denies any bellicose intention towards Kiev but links a de-escalation of tensions to treaties guaranteeing in particular the non-enlargement of NATO, in particular to Ukraine.
On Wednesday, Russian, Ukrainian, French and German negotiators met in Paris to try to defuse the crisis after a series of talks between Russians and Americans last week.
Eastern Ukraine has since 2014 been plagued by a war between Kiev forces and pro-Russian separatists of which Russia, which annexed the Crimean peninsula the same year, is widely seen as the military and financial sponsor.
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