The State Department has ordered families of American personnel at the American Embassy in Ukraine to leave the country in response to a potential Russian invasion of the country.
The department told family members of U.S. Embassy staffers in Kyiv that they must leave, and that non-essential embassy staff could leave Ukraine on the government’s dime.
However, the State Department has said that the Kyiv embassy will stay open, and this does not equate to a full-fledged evacuation.
The State Department released a statement which said the following:
“Do not travel to Ukraine due to the increased threats of Russian military action and COVID-19. Exercise increased caution in Ukraine due to crime and civil unrest. Some areas have increased risk,” the department advised.
Officials added: “The security conditions, particularly along Ukraine’s borders, in Russia-occupied Crimea, and in Russia-controlled eastern Ukraine, are unpredictable and can deteriorate with little notice. Demonstrations, which have turned violent at times, regularly occur throughout Ukraine, including in Kyiv.”
Russia has deployed a buildup of 100,000 troops and weaponry on the Ukrainian border and stationed troops in Belarus.
It was reported over the weekend that Joe Biden was presented with multiple contingency plans, including deploying 1,000 to 5,000 troops to the region in hopes that the American troop buildup would deter Russian President Vladmir Putin from escalating the standoff further.
The proposed plans included an option to increase American military personnel tenfold if the situation continued to deteriorate out of control.
In addition to potential American military moves, the Associated Press reported, “NATO said Monday it is bolstering its ‘deterrence’ in the Baltic Sea region. Denmark is sending a frigate and deploying F-16 warplanes to Lithuania; Spain is sending four fighter jets to Bulgaria and three ships to the Black Sea to join NATO naval forces; and France stands ready to send troops to Romania. The Netherlands also plans to send two F-35 fighter aircraft to Bulgaria from April.”
President Trump weighed in on the conflict, blasting the Biden administration’s foreign policy failure.
“What’s happening with Russia and Ukraine would never have happened under the Trump Administration. Not even a possibility!” said the 45th president.
