China News Service, February 15th. On the 14th local time, US Secretary of State Blinken announced the closure of the embassy in Ukraine and the "temporary transfer" of a small number of diplomatic personnel remaining in Ukraine to the western city of Lviv.
FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of State Blinken.
Blinken said that "the Russian military is accelerating the build-up", taking into account the safety of the embassy staff, the decision was made.
At the same time, Blinken also strongly urged all U.S. citizens remaining in Ukraine to evacuate immediately.
State Department spokesman Price said it was "absolutely necessary" to move all remaining diplomats from Ukraine's capital, Kiev, to Lviv, noting that Lviv's location would provide "some degree of" not available elsewhere in Ukraine. protection of".
FILE PHOTO: The U.S. Embassy in Ukraine.
Recently, the situation on the Russian-Ukrainian border has continued to be tense.
The two sides have deployed a large number of military personnel and equipment in the border areas of the two countries.
The United States and Ukraine claim that Russia has assembled heavy troops on the Russian-Ukrainian border in preparation for an "invasion" of Ukraine.
Russia has repeatedly denied it, emphasizing that NATO activities threaten Russia's border security, and Russia has the right to mobilize troops within its borders to defend its territory.
On February 12, the US State Department ordered the evacuation of all non-emergency staff from the embassy in Ukraine, and the embassy's consular services were stopped on the 13th.