With the situation tense on Ukrainian-Russian borderThe US State Department has ordered the families of its embassy staff and diplomats in Kiev to leave as soon as possible, before next Monday, at the latest.
US officials told Fox News Saturday that the State Department is expected to encourage Americans next week to start leaving Ukraine on commercial flights.
In parallel, Belgium urged its citizens not to travel to Ukraine, calling on its nationals there to register at the embassy. Germany also said it has drawn up a plan to evacuate its diplomats if the situation there deteriorates.
Javelin missiles
That comes as US officials said the small arms ammunition that arrived in Kiev today makes up the bulk of the 200,000 pounds of what the State Department describes as the lethal aid needed by Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines.
US officials also told Fox News that Javelin anti-tank missiles are expected to arrive early next week from the Baltic states and from US military stocks.
Another official added that the Pentagon was concerned that the Ukrainian capital was “now in the crossfire”, following advanced Russian fighter jets arrived in Belarus, in northern Ukraine.
Security meeting at Camp David
In parallel, officials said, the US government plans to transfer a ton of weapons and ammunition to Ukraine in the coming days.
Also, the sources reported that US President Joe Biden will meet with his security team at Camp David to discuss the Ukrainian crisis.
And the US embassy in Ukraine announced in a statement, today, Saturday, that Kiev had received the first batch of US aid for security support, worth $200 million.
Part of the US defense aid that has reached Ukraine
military aid
“The United States will continue to provide such assistance to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces in their continued effort to defend Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity from Russian aggression,” the embassy wrote on its Twitter page.
These “Fox News” leaks came amid the escalating crisis on the borders of eastern Ukraine, with Russia amassing tens of thousands of soldiers, while Kiev confirms that Moscow wants to invade its territory, the latter denies this and asserts that its movements do not threaten anyone.
It is noteworthy that the Ukrainian forces have been fighting since 2014, Russian-backed rebels in the Donbass region, and successive ceasefire agreements have not succeeded in restoring calm to the region. These events began with rallies in the Donbass following the massive protests in Ukraine in 2014, and quickly turned into armed confrontations between separatist forces and the Ukrainian army.
