On Saturday, the United States ordered the evacuation of its embassy staff from Kyiv. This move comes as there have been no conclusive talks between the U.S., Ukraine and European leaders with Russia, as yet.
In a travel advisory, the Department of State said that it had “ordered the departure of most U.S. direct hire employees from Embassy Kyiv.” It also said that there was a perceived “threat of Russian military action.”
The statement added that a small consular presence would be maintained in “Lviv, Ukraine” for handling emergencies. This embassy is in Western Ukraine, near the border with Poland and probably further away from invasion routes that might be taken by Russia. However, routine consular work such as providing passports, visas and more would be suspended.
Other Western allies including Great Britain have asked their citizens to leave Ukraine. The U.S. also requested members of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s (OSCE) members to leave the region by February 15. The OSCE members are more than 40 in number.
On Saturday, a spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry said that they were also evacuating their staff. The ministry said that it would “optimize” its number of staff as there were fears of “provocation.”
Although officials believe that Russian President Vladimir Putin has not made a final decision, as yet, on a possible invasion, the Biden administration said that there was a “distinct possibility” that Ukraine could be invaded before February 20, which is the end of the Winter Olympics currently being held in China.
President Biden is expected to speak with his counterpart President Putin, on Saturday. The last time these two leaders of the world spoke was on December 30.
Although Russia remains noncommittal about an invasion, the buildup of troops as well as military exercises in the region continue. Ukraine is also conducting its own drills as Russia is doing so. War games are on in the region.
