US to evacuate its embassy in Ukraine over fears of Russian invasion

Washington: The United States is set to evacuate its embassy in Kyiv after National Security Adviser (NSA) Jake Sullivan warned of imminent fear of Russian invasion in Ukraine, local media reported on Friday (local time).

This development comes after US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered an additional 3,000 US troops to be sent to Poland as fears over a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine rise. The extra forces, sent at the direction of US President Joe Biden, increase the number of U.S. forces deployed to and repositioned to Eastern Europe to 6,000, The Hill reported.

That announcement came shortly after National Security Adviser (NSA) Jake Sullivan issued a warning for all American citizens in Ukraine to leave the country as soon as possible. "We want to be crystal clear on this point. Any American in Ukraine should leave as soon as possible and in any event, in the next 24 to 48 hours," Sullivan said, according to CNN.

He said that if Americans stay they "are assuming risk with no guarantee that there will be any other opportunity to leave and no prospect of a US Military evacuation in the event of a Russian invasion." 

He also said that there is a credible prospect that Russian Military action in Ukraine would take place even before the end of the Beijing Winter Olympics.

Earlier, the US embassy in Ukraine issued a travel advisory urging Americans in Ukraine to leave the country at the earliest possibility, strengthening earlier warnings that urged its citizens to "consider" such action. 

The statement stated that do not travel to Ukraine due to the increased threats of Russian military action and COVID-19; those in Ukraine should depart now via commercial or private means.

According to The Hill, Russia has placed well over 100,000 Kremlin troops at its border with Ukraine and in Belarus, with Western nations concerned that a full-scale invasion could come in a matter of weeks.