IRIA News

U.S., UK, Russia, Israel, Japan, South Korea, and several European nations have advised citizens to evacuate Ukraine amid the increasing threat of Russian invasion.

U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan warned on February 11 that Russian forces are “in a position to be able to mount a major military action” and urged American citizens to immediately leave Ukraine.

“If a Russian attack on Ukraine proceeds, it is likely to begin with aerial bombing and missile attacks that could, obviously, kill civilians without regard to their nationality.  A subsequent ground invasion would involve the onslaught of a massive force,” Sullivan warned.

The U.S. National Security Advisor stressed that “the risk is now high enough and the threat is immediate enough that prudence demands that is the time to leave now while commercial options and commercial rail and air service exist, while the roads are open.”

Jake Sullivan said during the press briefing that “The [U.S.] President will not be putting the lives of our men and women in uniform at risk by sending them into a warzone to rescue people who could have left now but chose not to.  So, we are asking people to make the responsible choice.” Sullivan added that “We obviously cannot predict the future, we don’t know exactly what is going to happen, but the risk is now high enough and the threat is now immediate enough that [leaving] is prudent.”

According to the U.S. National Security Advisor, the United States is “ready to continue results-oriented diplomacy that addresses the security concerns of the United States, Russia, and Europe consistent with our values and the principle of reciprocity.”

Similarly, the British government advised its citizens to leave Ukraine now while commercial means were still available.

British Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces James Heappey also said on February 11, “British nationals should leave Ukraine immediately by any means possible and they should not expect, as they saw in the summer with Afghanistan, that there would be any possibility of a military evacuation.”

According to Heappey, no final decision had been made on the UK’s diplomatic presence in Ukraine. While the British troops that have been sent to Ukraine for training purposes would also return soon, British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said.

In addition, European nations such as Norway, Latvia, and the Netherlands, as well as East Asian countries Japan and South Korea have also called their citizens to immediately evacuate Ukraine.

However, EU Foreign Affairs spokesman Peter Stano said on February 11 that the European Commission has not taken steps to evacuate staff from Ukraine. “We continue to assess the situation as it develops, in line with the duty of care we have towards our staff and in close consultation and coordination with the EU Member States. We are not evacuating. For the time being, the non-essential staff has been given the opportunity to telework from outside the country,” Stano said.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry also issued a travel warning for Ukraine and advised non-essential staff and their families to evacuate Ukraine amid fears of war. According to the ministry statement, Israelis currently in Ukraine should immediately leave the country and “avoid approaching centers of tension.”

Although Russia rejected the reports of the invasion of Ukraine, Russian news agency Ria Novosti quoted a source as saying, “Russian diplomats and consular officers in Ukraine have begun to leave for Russia”.

According to Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, Russia had decided to “optimize” staffing at its missions in Ukraine mainly in view of “possible provocations by the Kiev regime or third countries”.

U.S. and NATO allies have warned that the fears of war remain high as diplomatic efforts to defuse tensions failed to convince Russia to withdraw its more than 100,000 soldiers stationed near Ukraine. While Russia accuses the U.S. and its NATO partners of using the Ukraine crisis as a “pretext” for increasing its own military presence near Russia’s borders.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken during his official trip to Fiji described the ongoing tensions with Russia as “a pivotal moment” and said that the U.S. is “prepared for whatever should happen.”

Secretary Blinken urged Russia to de-escalate tensions and said, “if Russia is genuinely interested in resolving this crisis of its own making through diplomacy and dialogue, we’re prepared to do that.”