One of the things holding Russian President Vladimir Putin back from invading Ukraine was the presence in Kyiv of US diplomats, Joe Biden just made sure that this is no longer an impediment - essentially offering up Ukraine on a platter just a few days after saying he would pretty much do just that.
Multiple sources informed CNN that the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine, has requested that the State Department authorized the departure of all nonessential staff and their families.
A source close to the Ukrainian government told the network that the U.S. has informed Ukraine it is "likely to start [the] evacuations as early as next week."
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The State Department issued the highest-level travel advisory for Ukraine on Dec. 20, instructing Americans "not to travel" due to a surge in COVID-19 and "increased threats from Russia."
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A spokesperson for the State Department asserted they had "nothing to announce at this time, adding, "We conduct rigorous contingency planning, as we always do, in the event the security situation deteriorates." A spokesperson for the embassy declined to confirm and referred CNN to the State Department in Washington.
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"If there is a decision to change our posture with respect to American diplomats and their families, American citizens should not anticipate that there will be U.S. government-sponsored evacuations," the spokesperson said. "Currently, commercial flights are available to support departures."
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On Tuesday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki reiterated the Biden administration's cautious position on the possibility of a Russian advancement on Ukraine.
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"Let's be clear. Our view is this is an extremely dangerous situation. We're now at a stage where Russia could at any point launch an attack in Ukraine," Psaki stated. "And what Secretary Blinken is going to do is highlight very clearly that there's a diplomatic path forward. It is the choice of President Putin and the Russians to make whether they're going to suffer severe economic consequences or not."
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According to CNN, a senior Biden administration official said that Russia had increased force levels since Friday on the Ukrainian border.
US officials still don't know what Russian President Vladimir Putin's plans are or whether he has even decided to invade. But some officials who have seen the intelligence report say there is evidence that Russia is planning to try to take Kyiv and overthrow the government, as CNN has previously reported.
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The Biden administration is weighing new options, including providing more arms to Ukraine to resist a Russian occupation, to attempt to raise the costs for Russian President Vladimir Putin should he decide to invade the country.
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The discussions, described by multiple sources familiar with them, reflect a sense of pessimism in the administration following last week's diplomatic talks with Russian officials that yielded no breakthroughs and as Russia continues to raise its force levels over the last few days.
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On Monday, the deployment of forces from Russia's Eastern Military District to Belarus struck many US officials and Russian military analysts as particularly ominous.
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