US to vacate its embassy amid fears of Russian attack on Ukraine

  

The US is preparing to evacuate its embassy in Ukraine amid Western intelligence officials fearing a Russian attack on Ukraine. US officials said the State Department would soon announce that all US staff at the Kiev embassy would have to leave the country in advance due to fears of Russian aggression. However, the US State Department has not commented on this.

The ministry had earlier ordered the families of US embassy employees in Ukraine to leave the country. Apart from this, non-essential personnel were told whether they wanted to depart from there or not, it was at their discretion. The new move comes at a time when the US has increased its warnings about a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Officials said on condition of anonymity that a limited number of US diplomats could be moved to Ukraine's far west near the border with NATO ally Poland to maintain US diplomatic presence in the country. The Pentagon, the headquarters of the US Department of Defense, announced on Friday that the US is sending 3,000 more troops to Poland in addition to the 1,700 troops already in Poland, as a sign of commitment to NATO allies and fears that Russia will attack Ukraine.

Additional troops will leave Fort Bragg in North Carolina over the next few days and will be in Poland early next week, according to a defense official providing information under rules set by the Pentagon. They are part of an infantry brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division. Their mission would be to train and provide security, but they would not engage in war in Ukraine. The announcement came soon after President Joe Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan issued a public warning to all US citizens in Ukraine to leave the country as soon as possible. Sullivan said Russian President Vladimir Putin could order an invasion of Ukraine any day.