US asks families of its diplomats to leave Ukraine
As the Ukraine crisis escalates, the US State Department has asked families of embassy staff in Kiev to leave Ukraine. The US is also considering military options and sending several thousand troops and equipment to Eastern European countries.
The US State Department ordered the families of its diplomats in Ukraine to leave the country on Sunday, Reuters reported. US diplomats stationed at the US embassy in the Ukrainian capital Kiev have also been allowed to leave Ukraine voluntarily, the statement said. US President Joe Biden is considering options to increase military units in NATO member states in Eastern Europe.
The US embassy also said in a statement: "Russian military action may occur at any time" and that American citizens in Ukraine should leave the country using existing facilities before then.
Russia has sent about 100,000 troops to the Ukrainian border in recent months. The West says Russia is planning an invasion of Ukraine to prevent the country from joining NATO. The Kremlin denies planning such an attack.
According to Reuters, senior Biden administration and Pentagon officials presented Joe Biden with several options at a meeting at Camp David on Saturday. The New York Times also reported that Biden is considering sending 1,000 to 5,000 troops to Eastern European countries if tensions rise.
A senior US administration official declined to confirm the figures on Sunday but said his country was developing plans and consulting with allies to determine more options.
The US State Department statement came a day after the British Foreign Office announced that it had received information indicating that the Kremlin was trying to form a pro-Russian government in Ukraine, while simultaneously considering an invasion and occupation of the country.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday, January 23, rejected immediate economic sanctions against Russia, saying they would undermine the West's ability to prevent a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and a group of Republican members of the US Congress have called for sanctions on Moscow as soon as possible.
Source: DW
