President Joe Biden has said that US military personnel will not be able to help US citizens on Ukrainian territory if a conflict breaks out there. Sending a military contingent to Ukraine would mark the beginning of a world war, he stressed. The State Department urged Americans to evacuate on commercial flights. US President Joe Biden called on Americans to leave Ukraine "right now." “American citizens should leave now. It's not like we're dealing with a terrorist organization. [But] we are dealing with one of the largest armies in the world. This is completely different, and the situation can get out of hand very quickly, ”he said in an interview with NBC.
The politician stressed that American troops would not be able to assist in the evacuation of US citizens, because under no circumstances would they be on Ukrainian territory. “There is no such scenario,” Biden replied to a question from host Lester Holt about under what circumstances Washington could send troops to Ukraine.
“If the Americans and Russia start shooting at each other, this means a world war,” the American president stated.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby admitted that US military personnel stationed in Poland could help with the evacuation of US citizens. “They can do a lot of things very, very well. They will be ready to perform a range of [missions] in case of emergency. I cannot rule out that these soldiers can be used to some extent to help with the evacuation on the other side of this border [between Poland and Ukraine],” he said.
"There was a lot of time and opportunity [to do this], this is not a war zone," Kirby elaborated, recalling that Washington had previously repeatedly recommended that Americans leave the country.
The day before, the State Department called on Americans to leave Ukraine using commercial or other private modes of transport. “Do not visit Ukraine due to the growing danger of Russian military action and COVID-19. Those who are in Ukraine should leave now,” the department’s website says.
The French television channel France24 linked the warning of the State Department with the start of the Allied Resolve 2022 exercises, which are being held by Moscow and Minsk on the territory of Belarus. During the maneuvers, the military work out the tasks "to suppress and repel external aggression." According to Washington, Russia sent 30,000 troops to Belarus. Officially, data on the number of participants in the exercises are not disclosed.
In late January, the US Embassy in Kiev also advised Americans to leave Ukraine due to the "unpredictable situation" in the security sphere and "given the increased risk of military action from Russia." The State Department then allowed some employees of the American embassy in Kiev and their families to leave Ukraine.
Back to news »
What measures is Russia taking
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov earlier recommended that non-essential personnel of the Russian diplomatic mission in Ukraine leave the country for a while. He pointed out that this is due to similar actions by Washington and London. “By the way, we have already thought for ourselves: maybe it is the Anglo-Saxons who are preparing something if they evacuate their employees,” he explained.Later, a representative of the Russian embassy told TASS that the issue of evacuation "is in active study."
Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko said that the evacuation of diplomats is necessary to protect against provocations: “We also reserve the right to take the necessary measures to ensure the safety of our diplomats in Ukraine, protect them from possible provocations of the Kiev regime or third countries, up to organizing evacuation to their homeland” .
Australia, Great Britain, Germany, Canada and Japan also announced the evacuation of part of the staff of embassies and relatives of diplomats. The Austrian Foreign Ministry reported that they were considering the possibility of exporting the staff of the embassy in Kiev, but would make a decision depending on the development of the situation.
bbabo.Net