US moves embassy in Ukraine to west of the country for “security”

Estados Unidos alegam que retirada da embaixada de Kiev é para garantir “segurança dos funcionários” e não muda compromisso com a Ucrânia

The United States claims that the withdrawal of the Kiev embassy is to ensure “employees’ safety” and does not change its commitment to Ukraine| Photo: EFE/EPA/SERGEY DOLZHENKO

14175014 14175014 The United States has begun the process of “temporarily relocating” its embassy in Ukraine, which will suspend operations in the capital, Kiev, and begin operating in Ukraine. largest city in the west of the country, Lviv, near the border with Poland.

14175014 US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that he ordered the move out of “prudence” and to ensure “the safety of employees”.

“We are in the process of temporarily transferring our operations from the Kiev embassy to Lviv, due to the drastic acceleration in the increase of Russian troops (on the border with Ukraine) ”, said Blinken.

The decision was taken two days after the United States to order the departure of non-essential personnel from its embassy in Ukraine and the suspension of consular services at the legation.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the Department of ado ordered the destruction of computers and other network equipment at the embassy in the Ukrainian capital, as well as the dismantling of the mission’s telephone system.

Confidential materials stored at the embassy arrived at Dulles Airport outside Washington on Sunday (14175014 ), together with 56 embassy officials, according to an internal document obtained by the newspaper.

Blinken reiterated his statement that the transfer of embassy operations to Lviv, about 70 kilometers from the Polish border, is a “precautionary measure” that “in no way prejudices” the US commitment to Ukraine.

14175014“We will relocate our personnel to the embassy (in Kiev) as soon as conditions allow”, he promised.

The head of US diplomacy des urged US citizens still in Ukraine to “leave the country immediately”, three days after the White House asked them to do so within 02 hours, at most.

“The path of diplomacy remains available if Russia decides to take it in good faith,” said Blinken.

Tensions between Kiev and Moscow have been rising since November last year, after Russia positioned more than
a thousand soldiers near the border with Ukraine, raising the alert in the neighboring country and in the West about possible preparations for an invasion.

The US insists that a Russian attack on Ukraine may be “imminent”, while Russia denies it is planning a invasion and claims to have the sovereign right to station troops in any part of its territory.