Mon 24 January 2022:
The US has ordered all American staff members at the US Embassy in Ukraine to leave the country, citing increased fears that Russia, which has massed forces on the border, is poised to invade.
The State Department also said in a statement on Sunday that non-essential embassy workers might leave Ukraine at the expense of the government and that all Americans should consider leaving immediately.
After annexing Crimea in 2014, Russian military activity has raised fears in Washington and other Western capitals that it is contemplating an invasion of Ukraine. Moscow has stated that it has no plans to invade.
The US Embassy in Kyiv warned that “military action by Russia could come at any time and the United States government will not be in a position to evacuate American citizens in such a contingency, so US citizens currently present in Ukraine should plan accordingly.”
Speaking on Sunday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken rebuffed calls to immediately impose economic sanctions on Russia, saying that doing so would undercut the West’s ability to deter any potential Russian aggression against Ukraine.
“When it comes to sanctions, the purpose of those sanctions is to deter Russian aggression. And so if they are triggered now, you lose the deterrent effect,” Blinken told CNN in an interview on Sunday.
Blinken said if a “single additional Russian force goes into Ukraine in an aggressive” manner, that would trigger a significant response.
Asked if US hands were tied over Ukraine because of a need for Russian support in talks on reining in Iran’s nuclear programme, Blinken told CBS News: “Not in the least.”
The department’s travel advisory, which had warned against traveling to Ukraine because of COVID-19 as well as the tensions over Russia, was changed Sunday to carry a stronger warning.
“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.
The travel advisory for Russia was also changed: “Do not travel to Russia due to ongoing tension along the border with Ukraine, the potential for harassment against U.S. citizens, the embassy’s limited ability to assist U.S. citizens in Russia, COVID-19 and related entry restrictions, terrorism, harassment by Russian government security officials, and the arbitrary enforcement of local law.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told The Washington Post last week he supported imposing sanctions now, a view endorsed by Republican legislators on Sunday.
On Saturday, the first shipment of the US’s $200m security support package for Ukraine arrived in Kyiv, the US embassy said.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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