US government cuts embassy staff in Ukraine
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently traveled to Kiev on this plane
Source: pa/dpa/US Embassy in Kiev
In view of the tense situation on the Ukrainian border, the US State Department is reacting and reducing its embassy staff in Kiev. According to a media report, US President Biden is considering sending thousands of soldiers to Eastern Europe.
Dhe US government is reducing its embassy presence in Kiev in view of the tense situation in the Ukraine conflict with Russia. The US State Department announced that employees who were not immediately required to leave the country voluntarily had been approved because of the ongoing threat from Russian military action. Family members of diplomats have been asked to leave Ukraine.
The move had been speculated for a few days. As recently as Saturday, the US State Department said that there was “nothing to announce” about the evacuation of families from embassy staff.
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 last week that Russia could invade Ukraine at any time.
Other US citizens living in Ukraine should “now consider” leaving Ukraine by commercial flights or other means of transportation. The ministry made it clear that there would be no evacuation action in the event of an invasion of Russia. Therefore, US citizens should plan accordingly now.
According to a report in the New York Times, US President Joe Biden is now even considering sending several thousand US soldiers to NATO allies in the Baltic and Eastern Europe. The foreign ministers of the EU states want to discuss the latest developments in the crisis with their US colleague Antony Blinken this Monday.
The Federal Foreign Office currently has no evacuation plans
Diplomacy is still being pursued, but should Russia decide to escalate further, security conditions are unpredictable and could deteriorate in a short period of time, the official said. “We do not know if he has already decided to invade, but he is building the military capacity along the Ukrainian borders to have this option ready at any time,” she said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Russia has massed more than 100,000 troops on the Ukrainian border in recent weeks. The West therefore fears a major Russian attack on the neighboring country. Moscow denies any invasion plans.
The Federal Foreign Office said on Saturday that it would not reduce its embassy staff in Kiev. “We are very closely monitoring the security situation for the staff at our diplomatic missions in Ukraine, and we are also in close contact with our partners in the EU and at international level,” it said.
The US State Department also said US citizens are “strongly advised” to avoid traveling to Russia. The background is the “tensions on the border with Ukraine”. Washington also warned US citizens in Russia against “harassment” by the police, including through the “arbitrary application of laws”.