“American citizens should leave now”, Biden said in a pre-taped interview of a news room. The warning came amid tensions rising at the border of the ex-Soviet Union should US and Russian troops engage each other on the ground. He reiterated that under no circumstances would he send US troops to Ukraine, even to rescue Americans in case of a Russian invasion.
“We’re dealing with one of the largest armies in the world. It’s a very different situation and things could go crazy quickly, Biden added.” These remarks were released hours after Russia rolled its tanks across Belarus for live-fire drills in the name of naval exercise added urgency to Western efforts to avert war on the continent.
On January 23, the State Department authorized the evacuation of US diplomats’ family members and of direct-hire employees. The State Department also recommended that US citizens who were present in Ukraine should consider departing right away due to the unpredictable security situation.
Diplomats from the Western parts have been shuttling to Moscow to keep conversation lines open and keep a dangerous war at bay. Since November, Ukraine and some Western countries have accused Russia of assembling heavy troops near the Ukrainian border with a possible intention of “invasion”. However, Russia denied the accusation, saying that it has the right to mobilise troops within its borders to defend its territory as the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation’s (NATO) activities constitute a threat to Russia’s border security.