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“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.
Although Moscow has said it is open to negotiation, State Department spokesperson Ned Price noted Monday that “it remains unclear to us whether Russia is interested in pursuing a diplomatic path as opposed to the use of force.”
A source familiar with the matter told CNN that a Russian attack on Ukraine sometime this week is more likely than not. But if Russia does not make a move this week, the source noted, it does not necessarily mean it won’t happen — Russia can maintain its current force posture for quite some time.
Price said the decision to move all remaining diplomats from Kyiv to western Ukraine was made because the State Department felt it was “absolutely necessary” due to the “distinct possibility, perhaps more real than ever before, that Russia may decide to proceed with military action.”
“We are basing our assessment on what we are seeing on the ground with our own eyes, which is a continued and unprovoked Russian buildup on the border of Ukraine and no accompanying evidence of de-escalation,” he said at a briefing at the State Department, noting that Lviv’s location “affords it a degree of protection that other places in Ukraine may not have.”
Price said there had been “great deal of meticulous planning that went into” relocating the embassy “and as a testament to that, for example, we did not have to destroy any valid passports.”
“We have undertaken prudent precautions when it comes to sensitive documents, sensitive equipment, but…
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Source : cnn
