US prepares to evacuate embassy in Ukraine

The State Department plans to order the departure of U.S. Embassy staff in Kiev on Feb. 12, U.S. officials said. A small number of officials may remain in Kiev, but most of the nearly 200 employees at the U.S. Embassy may be sent to the far west of Ukraine, near the Polish border, so the U.S. can maintain a diplomatic presence in the country, AP reported.

The US State Department has yet to comment on the information. The agency previously called on families of US Embassy staff in Kiev to leave. However, this is not a mandatory request for non-essential staff. The new move comes as Washington has stepped up warnings about the possibility of Moscow attacking Kiev.

Earlier, on February 11, the Pentagon announced that it would deploy 3,000 more combat troops to Poland, in addition to the 1,700 already there, to demonstrate the US commitment to its NATO allies. These soldiers will leave the base in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, for Poland next week. According to a defense official, they are soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division's Infantry Brigade, whose mission is to train and deter but not to engage in combat in Ukraine.

The announcement came shortly after Jake Sullivan, President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, publicly warned all US citizens in Ukraine to leave the country as soon as possible. Sullivan said Russian President Vladimir Putin could order an attack at any time.

In addition to the deployment to Poland, the US military is also deploying about 1,000 soldiers stationed in Germany to Romania on a similar mission to reassure NATO allies. In addition, 300 soldiers from the 18th Airborne Corps command unit have arrived in Germany. This force is commanded by Lieutenant General Michael E. Kurilla. The US currently has about 80,000 troops across Europe at permanent and rotational bases.

Western countries have repeatedly accused Russia of sending troops close to the Ukrainian border and claim that Moscow is planning to invade its neighboring country.

For its part, Russia has repeatedly insisted that it poses no threat to anyone and that the accusation of aggression is a provocation. The Kremlin has also stressed that NATO's military buildup in Eastern Europe has raised security concerns in Moscow, and has demanded legal guarantees from the West that NATO will not expand eastward or deploy offensive weapons in Eastern Europe.