President Joe Biden has urged US citizens to leave Ukraine immediately as fears over a possible Russian invasion mount.
“American citizens should leave now,” Biden said in a pre-recorded interview with NBC News Thursday evening.
‘Things could go crazy quickly’
“We’re dealing with one of the largest armies in the world. It’s a very different situation and things could go crazy quickly,” Biden said.
The president reiterated that under no circumstances would he be sending troops to Ukraine to evacuate US citizens in the event of a conflict.
“That’s a world war. When Americans and Russians start shooting one another, we’re in a very different world,” he said.
Tensions between the West and Russia are increasing, with some US estimates claiming 130,000 Russian soldiers are located near the border with Ukraine.
NATO: Biggest military drills since Cold War
Biden’s remarks were released just hours after Russian and Belarusian forces embarked upon a 10-day large-scale military exercise in Belarus, drawing an ominous warning from NATO.
The alliance described the live-fire drills as Russia’s biggest military operation in Belarus since the Cold War.
NATO said Moscow’s deployment of missiles and heavily-armored troops marked a “dangerous moment” for Europe some three decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that the drills were being held for the “military security of both countries and the fight against terrorism.”
Meanwhile, the US military’s most senior uniformed leader spoke with the head of the Belarusian armed forces.
US General Mark Milley spoke to his Belarusian counterpart, Maj. Gen. Viktor Gulevich, on Thursday, the Pentagon said.
“The phone call facilitated communication between both leaders to reduce chances of miscalculation and gain perspectives on current European security,” the Pentagon confirmed.
Diplomatic overtures
A concerted diplomatic effort to reduce tensions has been occurring in recent weeks, with frequent visits from leaders and top diplomats to both Moscow and Kyiv.
Within the space of just a few days this past week, Ukraine’s capital has played host to leaders from the United Kingdom, Turkey, Poland and the Netherlands.
And Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock promised unequivocal support for Ukraine on Monday as she visited Kyiv for the second time in three weeks.
While French President Emmanuel Macron and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban have both visited the Russian capital recently for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in an effort to gauge the political temperature. Macron said he was in Moscow to “to avoid war and build trust.”
UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss was the latest diplomat to visit Moscow as she met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Thursday.
jsi/wmr (AFP, Reuters)
Biden urges Americans to leave Ukraine immediately
Source: Pinoy Pop News
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