The US Embassy in Ukraine called on the citizens of this country not to enter Ukraine, and those who are in Ukraine to leave the country immediately.
“The security situation across Ukraine remains brutal and unpredictable due to ongoing military attacks from Russia, active hostilities in the country, and uncertain security conditions. The US Embassy urges US citizens not to enter Ukraine, and those in Ukraine immediately leave the country using privately available ground transportation options if it is safe to do so,” the embassy’s website said in a statement.
The embassy also urged “to avoid mass gatherings and organized events, as they can become a target for the Russian military anywhere in Ukraine, including its western regions.”
The White House calls on the Americans in Ukraine to leave the country within the next 24-48 hours, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said at a briefing on Friday.
“We are continuing to reduce the size of our embassy footprint in Kyiv. And I want to take a moment to echo what both President Biden and Secretary Blinken have already said: We encourage all American citizens who remain in Ukraine to depart immediately,” he said at a briefing at the White House.
“Any American in Ukraine should leave as soon as possible, and in any event, in the next 24 to 48 hours,” Sullivan said.
He added that Washington would not send troops to Ukraine to evacuate citizens.
“If you stay, you are assuming risk with no guarantee that there will be any other opportunity to leave and no prospect of a U.S. military evacuation in the event of a Russian invasion,” Sullivan said.
Earlier this week, a White House official said that the United States was not planning a mass evacuation of American citizens from Ukraine with the help of the military, and Pentagon spokesman John Kirby confirmed that the U.S. military deployed to Europe, if necessary, could help in the evacuation of American citizens without appearing on Ukrainian territory.
