Ukraine slams Biden decision to evacuate embassy personnel

The State Department yesterday announced that it would begin evacuating embassy personnel and family members from its embassy in Kiev, and the Ukrainian government is not happy about the decision:

DAILY WIRE – The foreign minister of Ukraine has pushed back on America’s announcement to evacuate family members of embassy members in Kiev, along with the voluntary departure of some government employees, calling the action “premature.”

“While respecting the right of foreign nations to decide on safety and security of their diplomatic missions, we consider that this step by the U.S. is premature and stems from excessive caution,” Foreign Minister Oleg Nikolenko said in a statement on Monday.

“There were no radical changes in the security situation lately: the threat of new waves of Russian aggression remains present since 2014, and Russia’s build-up of the military capacity along Ukraine’s borders started last April,” he added.

The statement also urged calm for U.S. citizens seeking to leave Ukraine.

“We urge to keep calm regarding the recommendations for the U.S. citizens to register their travel plans on the State Department website. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine also recommends that Ukrainians traveling abroad register in a similar ‘FRIEND’ system. It is a regular international practice to maintain consular relations with its citizens,” Nikolenko wrote.

I’m sure Putin loves the decision, because Biden is once again signaling that he expects Putin to invade and isn’t going to do anything to help stop it from happening.

According to the AP, Boris Johnson is making a similar move but also saying they don’t believe a Russian invasion is inevitable:

Britain said it is withdrawing some diplomats and dependents from its Kyiv Embassy.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said an invasion was not inevitable, but “the intelligence is pretty gloomy.” He added that “I think that sense can still prevail.”

Germany isn’t withdrawing their people. Instead, they are trying to support the Ukrainian government:

Germany has issued no order but said the families of embassy staff may leave if they wish. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock stressed that “we must not contribute to unsettling the situation further; we need to continue to support the Ukrainian government very clearly and, above all, maintain the stability of the country.”

Meanwhile….

That’s ominous. If Russia invades Ukraine, China may seize on that distraction and begin mounting their own invasion of Taiwan. They know if Biden isn’t going to do anything to protect Ukraine, they likely won’t do much to protect Taiwan either.


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