According to a media report, the Federal Foreign Office is working on an evacuation plan for the relatives of the German embassy employees in Ukraine. This was reported by the "Bild" newspaper early on Saturday evening. The relatives should, it says, be brought out of Ukraine if the situation deteriorates further. The Federal Foreign Office denied the report: The Federal Foreign Office is currently taking “no measures to reduce the number of embassy staff” or their family members. "We are very closely monitoring the security situation for the staff at our diplomatic missions in Ukraine, and we are also in close contact with our partners in the EU and at international level," said a statement from Berlin on Saturday.
Previously, there had also been reports of concrete plans from the United States to withdraw embassy staff.
However, the US government did not initially confirm the reports.
"We have nothing to announce at this time," a State Department spokeswoman in Washington told AFP on Saturday.
Fox News had previously reported that the US State Department had asked family members of employees of the US Embassy in Ukraine to begin their departure on Monday.
In the next week, the State Department will also encourage Americans to leave Ukraine on commercial flights "while they are still available," an official said.
First shipment of ammunition arrived
Late Friday evening, the American Embassy in Ukraine announced that the first shipment of ammunition had arrived, in accordance with President Joe Biden's instructions. According to the source from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, these are mainly ammunition for small arms. She also told Fox News that Javelin anti-tank missiles from the Baltic states and American military stockpiles are expected to arrive early next week. The US government plans to ship "a ton" of arms and ammunition to Ukraine in the coming days, officials say.
Because of the German refusal to deliver arms to Ukraine, the Ukrainian government has accused Berlin of "encouraging" the actions of the Russian head of state Vladimir Putin and of "undermining" the unity of the West in the conflict. Germany's statements that it was not possible to deliver "defense weapons to Ukraine" did not "fit in with the current security situation," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote on Twitter on Saturday.
The unity of the West towards Russia is "more important today than ever," said Kuleba.
"The German partners must stop using such words and actions to undermine unity and to encourage Vladimir Putin to launch a new attack on Ukraine." Ukraine is "grateful" for Germany's previous support, but "the current statements are disappointing,” added the Foreign Minister.
Federal Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) had previously rejected arms deliveries to Ukraine.