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In another sign that the situation is becoming dire, the Biden administration warned on Sunday that it “will not be in a position to evacuate U.S. citizens” from Ukraine should Russia launch an invasion.
The warning comes after the State Department ordered families of diplomats and staff as well as other non-essential personnel, out of the eastern European nation following a buildup of some 100,000 Russian troops over the past several weeks and talks between Washington, Kyiv, and Moscow has failed to diffuse the situation.
“Given that the president has said military action by Russia could come at any time, the U.S. government will not be in a position to evacuate U.S. citizens,” the State Department said, according to Fox News correspondent Jennifer Griffin. “So U.S. citizens, currently present in Ukraine, should plan accordingly.”
From State Dept call: “Given that the President has said military action by Russia could come at any time. The US government will not be in a position to evacuate US citizens. So US citizens, currently present in Ukraine should plan accordingly.” Arrange commercial flights.
— Jennifer Griffin (@JenGriffinFNC) January 24, 2022
She added another quote from the State Department: “We’ve authorized the departure of some US government employees, but we have ordered the departure of all family members of US government employees at our Embassy in Kyiv. The State Department has also elevated our travel advisory for Ukraine to level four.”
State Dept: “We’ve authorised the departure of some US government employees, but we have ordered the departure of all family members of US government employees at our Embassy in Kiev. The State Department has also elevated our travel advisory for Ukraine to level four.”
— Jennifer Griffin (@JenGriffinFNC) January 24, 2022
Earlier, the State Department also issued a travel warning to all Americans regarding Ukraine — the potential for war but also, for some reason, included a pandemic warning as well.
“The security conditions, particularly along Ukraine’s borders, in Russia-occupied Crimea, and in Russia-controlled eastern Ukraine, are unpredictable and can deteriorate with little notice. Demonstrations, which have turned violent at times, regularly occur throughout Ukraine, including in Kyiv,” the department said. “Do not travel to Ukraine due to the increased threats of Russian military action and COVID-19. Exercise increased caution in Ukraine due to crime and civil unrest. Some areas have increased risk.”
One report on Sunday suggested that Biden was considering deploying American troops to eastern Europe in an attempt not to appear weak, according to The Daily Wire, but it was dismissed by several experts as insufficient and late.
Biden is considering the deployment of “several thousand U.S. troops, as well as warships and aircraft, to NATO allies in the Baltics and Eastern Europe, an expansion of American military involvement amid mounting fears of a Russian incursion into Ukraine,” The New York Times noted. “The move would signal a major pivot for the Biden administration, which up until recently was taking a restrained stance on Ukraine, out of fear of provoking Russia into invading.”
The Times noted further that senior military officials told the president that he could immediately deploy some 5,000 U.S. troops to the area with the capability of increasing that number “tenfold if things deteriorate.” Biden is reportedly considering the option and could decide early in the week what action he will order.
“After years of tiptoeing around the question of how much military support to provide to Ukraine, for fear of provoking Russia, Biden officials have recently warned that the United States could throw its weight behind a Ukrainian insurgency should [Russian President Vladimir] Putin invade Ukraine,” the report added.
“And the deployment of thousands of additional American troops to NATO’s eastern flank, which includes Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, Biden administration officials said, is exactly the scenario that Mr. Putin has wanted to avoid, as he has seen the western military alliance creep closer and closer to Russia’s own border.”
