The US orders the non-essential staff of its Embassy to leave Ukraine in the face of the Russian threat

The drums of a possible war in Ukraine have prompted the State Department to order non-essential workers and family members of diplomats at the US Embassy in Kiev to leave the country, faced with the threat of an invasion by Russia, which He has been amassing troops on the border between the two former Soviet republics for weeks. In a statement released this Sunday, he also asks the rest of his fellow citizens to consider “the opportunity to leave Ukraine using commercial flights or other private means”, given that the Embassy will not be in a position to help them in the event of a attack.

“There are reports suggesting that Russia is planning significant military action. Security conditions, particularly around the borders, in Russian-occupied Crimea, and in the Moscow-controlled eastern part, are currently unpredictable, and may deteriorate without warning. .

The Embassy in Kiev informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday of the imminent evacuation. Ukrainian sources cited by The Wall Street Journal they fear that this announcement will send a “dangerous message” to Moscow that the United States already takes the war for granted. The State Department lacks estimates of how many US citizens live in Ukraine.

Senior State Department officials told reporters in a briefing call that the decision is not due to a specific change in the security situation, but rather the “totality” of the Russian military buildup and threatening posture toward Ukraine in recent months.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken met last Friday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Geneva. There they agreed to continue diplomatic talks on the crisis with Ukraine and the expansion of NATO. Blinken promised to send a written response to Moscow’s aspirations, which demand that the Atlantic Alliance not expand into Russia and also withdraw from what it considers its sphere of influence. They were summoned to continue discussing to resolve the greatest crisis that exists right now on the world geopolitical board.

Joe Biden predicted last Wednesday at a press conference, the second he has granted in his first year in the White House, “Russian moves”, which, he added, the United States will not hesitate to receive with “severe sanctions”. “[Si los lleva a cabo] I believe that [el presidente ruso, Vladímir Putin] You will regret it,” he warned. Biden met this Saturday at his Camp David residence with members of the national security team to discuss the Russian threat.

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