The US State Department issued a travel advisory on Sunday warning Americans not to travel to Russia. It has also ordered the families of its diplomats in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv to leave the country “due to the continued threat” of a Russian invasion, the State Department said Sunday.
Washington has also authorized the “voluntary” departure of its non-essential embassy staff and urged US citizens in the Eastern European country to “consider departing now,” saying it will not be in a position to evacuate them after any possible incursion by Moscow.
Also Read: PM Jacinda Ardern Cancels Wedding Amid New Omicron Curbs
The move came amid rising tensions about Russia’s military buildup on the Ukraine border that were not eased during talks on Friday between Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Geneva.
State Department officials stressed the Kyiv embassy will remain open and that the announcement does not constitute an evacuation. The move had been under consideration for some time and does not reflect an easing of US support for Ukraine, the officials said.
(With inputs from agencies)
