News / Foreign Policy

‘No evacuation of US citizens planned for Ukraine’

Thursday, 10 February 2022 2:38 AM [ Last Update: Thursday, 10 February 2022 2:38 AM ]

The administration of US President Joe Biden says it has no plan to evacuate the American citizens from Ukraine in the case of any invasion by Russia.

“These are multi-mission forces, trained and equipped for a variety of missions to deter aggression and to provide reassurance to NATO Allies,” a White House official announced on Wednesday.

“We are constantly evaluating the evolving security situation and planning for a range of contingencies as we always do, but to be clear we are not planning for a mass evacuation of American citizens from Ukraine,” the official added. “President Biden has been clear that we believe Americans in Ukraine would be wise to leave Ukraine.”

This comes after The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that the US is planning an evacuation through its troops in Poland.

US deploys more troops to Poland as Ukraine downplays speculations of Russian invasion

Another contingent of US troops land in southeastern Poland near the border with Ukraine as part of efforts to reinforce NATO’s military buildup in eastern Europe.

Also on Monday, Biden urged the US citizens who are in Ukraine to leave the country as soon as possible.

"I think it would be wise to leave the country...I'm not talking about our diplomatic corps. I'm talking about Americans who are there. I'd hate see them get caught in a crossfire if in fact they did invade," Biden said during a press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the White House.

According to the US media, there are approximately 30,000 Americans living in Ukraine.

The US and its allies accuse Russia of preparing for an invasion of Ukraine by amassing thousands of troops and armaments near the border with that country.

Russia, however, has denied the claim, saying the troop build-up is defensive and in response to NATO’s eastward expansion and increasing activities near Russian borders.

Meanwhile, Moscow has threatened to take unspecified measures if its security demands are not met. Those include assurances that NATO will never admit Ukraine, a demand the United States and the military alliance have called unacceptable.

It has also called on NATO to roll back its military deployments in Central and Eastern Europe, saying the expansion poses a serious threat to Russia.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk