Amid growing fears of Russia invading Ukraine, the US State Department on Sunday ordered non-essential staff and family members of US employees at the former Soviet republic's embassy to leave the country.
The move is announced after tensions between Russia and Ukraine failed to ease following Friday's talks between Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Geneva.
The State Department said the Kiev embassy will remain open and that
the announcement does not constitute an evacuation
.
The move had been under consideration for some time.
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The State Department said that Russia is planning significant military action against Ukraine.
Moscow has posted more than 100,000 troops on the border with that country in recent days.
"Security conditions, particularly along Ukraine's borders, in (Russian-occupied) Crimea, and in (Russian-controlled) eastern Ukraine, are unpredictable and may deteriorate without warning," the department warned in a statement. release.
The United States has upgraded the warning against traveling to Russia to level four, citing the COVID-19 pandemic and tensions with Ukraine.
“Do not travel to Ukraine due to growing threats of Russian military action and COVID-19.
Be more cautious in Ukraine due to crime and civil unrest.
Some areas are at higher risk,” the department advised.
The United States sent a shipment of military aid to Ukraine this weekend, the US embassy in Kiev said on Saturday.
The shipment was "nearly 200,000 pounds of lethal aid, including ammunition for Ukraine's front-line defenders."
The embassy said the aid "demonstrates the United States' commitment to helping Ukraine bolster its defenses against mounting Russian aggression."