WASHINGTON - The families of American personnel at the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine were ordered to leave the country on Sunday amid heightened fears of a Russian invasion.
The department told the dependents of staff at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv that they must leave the country. Non-essential embassy staff could leave Ukraine at government expense, it said.
The move came amid rising tensions about Russia's military build up on the Ukraine border that were not eased during talks between Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Geneva. State Department officials stressed that the Kyiv embassy will remain open and that the announcement does not constitute an evacuation. The move had been under consideration for some time and does not reflect an easing of U.S. support for Ukraine, the officials said. The State Department said in a statement that Russia was planning to take significant military action against Ukraine. The Russian Foreign Ministry accused NATO countries of escalating tensions around Ukraine with disinformation. The State Department said that security conditions are unpredictable and can deteriorate with little notice along Ukraine's borders, Russia-controlled Crimea and Russia-controlled eastern Ukraine. Demonstrations that have turned violent frequently occur throughout Ukraine, including in Kyiv.