The United States is weighing evacuating the family members of American diplomats out of Ukraine as tensions continue to grow between Washington and Moscow over Kiyv.
An announcement regarding the potential evacuation could come within days, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg.
If approved, family members of diplomatic staff would be ordered to return to the US while non-essential staff would be able to leave voluntarily, New York Post reported.
The State Department has already placed a “Level 4” travel advisory on Ukraine, urging US citizens not to travel there due to COVID-19 and growing tensions with Russia.
“Exercise increased caution due to crime and civil unrest,” reads a warning from the US Embassy in Kyiv.
News of the evacuation plans broke the same day that Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Following the roughly 90-minute meeting, Blinken warned of a “swift and severe response” if Moscow opts to take military measures against Ukraine.
“We agreed as well that further diplomatic discussions would be the preferable way forward. But, again, it is really up to Russia to decide which path it will pursue,” Blinken told reporters.
On Friday, Lavrov dismissed the concerns as “hysteria” and emphasized to Blinken that there is no military option against Kyiv.
RHM/PR