"American citizens must leave Ukraine now": Joe Biden said this in an interview with NBC, some previews of which were broadcast.
"It's not like dealing with a terrorist organization, we are dealing with one of the largest armies in the world, it's a very different situation and things could go crazy quickly", he admonished referring to the Russian threat, while the US embassy in Kiev issued a similar alert.
During the interview, the president also said that "if Putin is foolish enough to proceed (with the invasion of Ukraine, ed), he is smart enough not to do anything that would have a negative impact on American citizens".
Asked if he told Putin that American security is a line that cannot be crossed, the president replied: "I shouldn't have told him, I talked about this, you know".
Biden ruled out sending troops for an eventual evacuation of American citizens: "it's a world war when Americans and Russians start shooting each other".