Poland gave permission to US citizens leaving the territory of Ukraine to enter the country without prior approval. This was announced on Saturday, February 12, on its website by the United States Embassy in Kiev.
It is noted that a passport and a certificate of vaccination against COVID-19 or a negative PCR test or an antibody test are required for simplified entry.
“We urge those who travel to Poland by land transport from Ukraine to cross the border at the border crossings Korchova-Krakowets or Medyka-Shegini,” the message says.
On the same day, the US State Department ordered non-critical US diplomats in Kiev to leave Ukraine. The diplomatic mission added that such a decision is connected with constant reports of an alleged increase in the number of Russian troops on the border with Ukraine, “indicating the possibility of significant military operations.” At the same time, the embassy drew attention to the fact that the bulk of the US embassy team will continue to work in Kiev.
In turn, on February 12, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, announced that Moscow had decided to optimize the staff of Russian diplomatic missions in Ukraine. Thus, she commented on the information of a number of media outlets, according to which Russia has significantly reduced the staff of its embassy in Kiev and consulates general in Lvov, Odessa and Kharkov. The politician stressed that the need to make a decision on optimization was dictated by the growing threat of provocations from Ukraine and the West.
The day before, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan called on all Americans who remain in Ukraine to leave the country within the next 24-48 hours.
On the same day, US President Joe Biden warned the citizens of the United States in Ukraine about the danger and asked them to leave the country. He also stressed the reluctance to send troops to rescue US citizens fleeing Ukraine. According to him, this is the threat level of a non-terrorist organization, in which case the United States will be forced to deal with one of the largest armies in the world. And this, the American leader emphasized, is a completely different situation, and “everything can quickly get out of control.” The State Department made a similar statement.
On January 26, the US Embassy also asked the Americans to leave Ukraine. As emphasized in the diplomatic mission, such a need is due to the “unpredictable situation” in the security sphere.
In the United States and EU countries, they have recently expressed concern about the alleged increase in Russia’s “aggressive actions” against Ukraine. Moscow has repeatedly denied such accusations, saying that it does not threaten anyone. As the Russian side emphasized, such accusations are used as a pretext to deploy as much NATO military equipment as possible near the borders of the Russian Federation.
Source: IZ
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
