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The United States will evacuate its embassy in Kiev as US intelligence officials warn that a Russian invasion of Ukraine is imminent, the Associated Press reports.
Unidentified U.S. officials were quoted by the AP as saying that the State Department plans to announce on February 12 that almost all U.S. staff at the Kiev Embassy will be required to leave before a Russian invasion.
Officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly, said a small number of US diplomats could be relocated to the far west of Ukraine, near the border with Poland, a NATO ally, in so that the US can maintain a diplomatic presence in the country.
The State Department declined to comment.
On January 24, the US State Department ordered the families of diplomats working at the US Embassy to leave Ukraine due to the threat of military action by Russia.
But he had left it to the discretion of non-essential staff if they would like to leave.
The new move comes after Washington escalated warnings of a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, saying it could happen at any moment.
A major military operation against Ukraine could begin “every day now”, even before the end of the Winter Olympics, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on February 11.
He called on all Americans to leave Ukraine immediately.
“We encourage all American citizens remaining in Ukraine to leave immediately,” Sullivan told a news conference.
“If you stay, you are taking risks,” he added.
Russia has denied that the accumulation of more than 100,000 troops and military equipment in areas near the border with Ukraine is a warning of a possible invasion.
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