Now the diplomats are leaving the country too…
President Joe Biden’s national security adviser said Putin had decided to invade Ukraine. When? Maybe during the Olympic Games in Beijing.
Apparently, the fear of war is so great that the US government is withdrawing most of its embassy staff from the Ukrainian capital of Kiev.
Staff will be reduced “to an absolute minimum,” said a senior ministry official.
What’s more, the burning of important documents and the destruction of hardware have apparently already begun.
Starting tomorrow (Sunday, February 13), regular consular services at the embassy would be suspended.
The US military is withdrawing around 160 National Guard soldiers from the country who were deployed there for training purposes.
The government official once again urged US citizens to leave Ukraine. It is “overdue” for her to leave the country. The safety of American citizens is the number one priority, but there are limits to what the US government can do “in a war zone.”
Do everything possible to prevent Ukraine from becoming a war zone. But it seems increasingly likely that the situation there will develop into an active conflict.
Germans should leave Ukraine quickly
“If you are currently in Ukraine, check whether your presence is mandatory. If not, leave at short notice!”
This message from the Federal Foreign Office is aimed at German citizens who are in Ukraine.
In plain language, this means that Germans should leave Ukraine immediately.
BUT: “We will keep our embassy in Kiev open,” said Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock – albeit with reduced staff.
The website of the Federal Foreign Office also reads: “There is a warning against traveling to Ukraine.”
Other countries are also asking their compatriots to leave the country
More and more countries are calling on their compatriots to leave Ukraine immediately:
▶︎ Spain: “All Spaniards are advised to leave the country temporarily using existing travel options,” wrote the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Twitter. The newspaper “El País” reported that there were at least 500 Spaniards who were mainly in the capital Kiev.
▶︎ Italy calls on its citizens to leave Ukraine temporarily, but does not plan an evacuation mission. Instead, Italians should return home using the usual means of transport. The Foreign Ministry does not want to close its embassy in Kiev.
▶︎ Israel issued a travel warning. Relatives of diplomats are to be evacuated. Israelis in Ukraine should consider leaving the country and stay away from points of tension, the State Department said.
▶︎ Great Britain warned its citizens to leave Ukraine immediately – as long as civilian travel is still possible. There will be no military rescue operation in the event of an invasion, according to London sources.
▶︎ Australians Government stated: “Our advice is clear: the situation is dangerous. You should try to leave Ukraine.”
▶︎ New Zealand urges its citizens in Ukraine to leave the country immediately. “New Zealand does not have a diplomatic mission in Ukraine and the government’s ability to provide consular assistance to New Zealanders in Ukraine is therefore very limited,” the Foreign Ministry said.
The USA, Denmark, Latvia, Estonia, Sweden, Japan and the Netherlands also warned their citizens to leave the country.