Biden advises Americans to evacuate Ukraine due to mounting evidence of Russian aggression.
- As tensions with Russia over its military activity in Ukraine escalate, President Joe Biden has advised U.S. citizens to evacuate the country promptly.
- On Friday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken advised Americans to evacuate Ukraine, stating that an invasion might occur imminently.
- Boris Johnson, the British Prime Minister, stated on Thursday that Europe has not seen such danger in a very long time.
As tensions with Russia over its military activity in Ukraine escalate, President Joe Biden has advised U.S. citizens to evacuate the country promptly.
Biden advised American citizens to depart immediately, stating that they are dealing with a massive army and the situation is rapidly changing, according to NBC News' Lester Holt on Thursday night.
Belarus and Russia commenced a 10-day military exercise on Thursday, with an estimated 30,000 Russian troops participating, which represents Moscow's largest military deployment in Belarus since the Cold War.
Russia has deployed around 130,000 soldiers, tanks, missiles, and blood supplies to its border with Ukraine, as seen by many as a show of strength. According to NBC News, Russia is demanding that Ukraine never be allowed to join the NATO military alliance and wants the organization to withdraw from its presence in Eastern Europe.
Russia has insisted it has no plans to invade Ukraine.
On Thursday, Ukraine accused Russia of creating a sea blockade in the Sea of Azov and Black Sea, according to the BBC report. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba stated that the Sea of Azov was congested and the Black Sea was blocked by Russian forces as they prepared for naval drills next week.
On Thursday, Biden stated that he would not send U.S. troops to Ukraine, as there was no situation in which he could envision this occurring, despite the escalating tensions.
If Americans and Russians begin firing at each other, we will be in a completely different world than we've ever experienced, according to him.
It would be challenging to deploy troops in Ukraine to rescue American citizens, as Biden stated.
What's your strategy for finding them?" he asked. "I hope Putin is foolish enough to go in, but smart enough not to harm American citizens.
Invasion ‘could happen at any time’
On Friday, Antony Blinken, the U.S. Secretary of State, announced at a news conference in Melbourne, Australia, that the government was still reducing its embassy in Ukraine due to "alarming indications of Russian intensification."
Moscow's troop movement to the Ukrainian border was indicated by signs, as Blinken urged U.S. citizens to promptly evacuate Ukraine.
An invasion could begin at any time during the Olympics, while we are in a window.
The Winter Olympics are taking place in China and will continue until February 20th.
Despite Russia's denial of plans to invade Ukraine, the U.S., U.K., and other nations have provided military equipment to Kyiv for self-defense in the event of aggression.
Europe ‘on the edge of a precipice’
Diplomatic discussions have been held with Russian ministers by western countries, including the U.S., U.K., and France, in an attempt to resolve recent tensions.
On Thursday, Boris Johnson, the British Prime Minister, stated that the situation was still precarious.
"Vladimir Putin must disengage and de-escalate, and the way forward is diplomacy," he warned, as he believes that Europe is facing danger on the 10th of February 2022, which is as severe as he has seen in a very long time.
American lawmakers are planning to impose severe economic sanctions on Russia in support of Ukraine, which will have a devastating impact on the Russian economy. British and German officials have also warned that Moscow will face economic repercussions if it takes any aggressive action against Ukraine.
Last week, during a press briefing, analysts from Chatham House revealed that 24% of Ukrainians surveyed recently were prepared to physically defend their country, in addition to those who had already joined its expanding volunteer army.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, has cautioned that any military engagement with Russia would lead to a "complete" war in Europe.
On Friday, Kuleba of Ukraine disclosed to CNBC that the government had received a warning from the U.S. about the possibility of Russia using a fabricated video as a pretext for an invasion.
If you ask me if there is anything Russia couldn't do to provoke the war, my answer would be no," he said. "Everything is possible, and we should take every risk into account.
The U.S. has been accused by Putin of utilizing Ukraine as a means to "restrain Russia."
— CNBC’s Holly Ellyatt contributed to this article.
politics
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