The US government has ordered the families of US diplomats stationed in Kyiv to leave the country “due to the continuing threat of a Russian military operation”, announced Sunday, January 23 the State Department.
Local staff and non-essential staff may leave the embassy if they wish and US nationals residing in Ukraine “should consider now” to leave the country by commercial flights or other means of transport, adds the press release of the American Department of Foreign Affairs.
“The security situation, especially along the Ukrainian borders, in Russian-occupied Crimea and in Russian-controlled Donetsk, is unpredictable and could deteriorate at any time”, the statement added.
Fear of a Russian military operation
“U.S. nationals in Ukraine should be aware that a Russian military operation anywhere in Ukraine would seriously affect the ability of the U.S. Embassy to provide consular services, including assistance to U.S. citizens leaving Ukraine”, warns the State Department.
The department calls on the American community in Ukraine to learn about “what the U.S. government may or may not do to assist you during a crisis overseas”. The State Department also advises against all travel to Ukraine due to the possibility of a Russian attack. Ukraine was already not recommended for American travelers due to the Covid.
It is moreover ” strongly recommended “ American citizens to avoid traveling to Russia, according to a second press release from the State Department, justifying this decision in particular by “the possibility of harassment of American citizens”, in particular by the Russian police, and “an arbitrary application of local laws”.
The meeting between the heads of Russian and American diplomacy on Friday in Geneva did not lead to any tangible result, while Russia massed troops on the borders of Ukraine. On Sunday, Britain accused the Kremlin of seeking to install a pro-Russian leader in Ukraine.