US closing embassy in Kyiv and moving remaining diplomats to western Ukraine amid fears of Russian invasion
CNN
By Jennifer Hansler and Kylie Atwood, CNN
The United States is closing the US Embassy in Kyiv and “temporarily relocating” the small number of remaining diplomatic personnel in the country to Lviv, a city in western Ukraine, “due to the dramatic acceleration in the buildup of Russian forces,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Monday.
“I have ordered these measures for one reason — the safety of our staff — and we strongly urge any remaining US citizens in Ukraine to leave the country immediately,” Blinken said in a statement.
“These prudent precautions in no way undermine our support for or our commitment to Ukraine. Our commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity is unwavering,” he said. “We also continue our sincere efforts to reach a diplomatic solution, and we remain engaged with the Russian government following President Biden’s call with President Putin and my discussion with Foreign Minister Lavrov.”
“The path for diplomacy remains available if Russia chooses to engage in good faith. We look forward to returning our staff to the Embassy as soon as conditions permit,” Blinken added.
The moves comes days after the US ordered the vast majority of US government employees to leave the country and announced that consular services at the US Embassy would be suspended as of Sunday. The State Department said this weekend it would keep a small consular presence in Lviv for emergency services.
US officials have repeatedly called on American citizens to leave Ukraine immediately, warning that a Russian invasion come at any moment, including as soon as this week.
“What we are trying to do publicly is be transparent to American citizens that they should leave Ukraine immediately, because there will not be a military evacuation in the event of an invasion,” National security adviser Jake Sullivan said on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday.
“And we are trying to tell the Ukrainians to prepare and be ready for this as well, as well as coordinate with our NATO allies and partners, so that we are able to defend NATO territory and deter any further Russian aggression should they move on Ukraine,” he added.
In a briefing with reporters Saturday, a senior State Department official said they had been “planning to try to maintain the core functions of our embassy as long as possible with a reduced number of people.” This official said US diplomats had gotten rid of classified information in recent days in preparation of the Embassy drawdown.
The concern about the safety of US diplomats has risen in recent days, especially as Biden administration officials have said that Russia could begin its invasion with aerial bombings and missiles, which could indiscriminately kill civilians. Kyiv is also only two hours from the Ukraine-Belarus border, where Russia has continued to build up its troop presence.
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