The US State Department has already ordered the families of the Kiev embassy staff to leave the country.
The United States is preparing to evacuate its embassy in Kiev, Ukraine , after Western intelligence officials warn that a Russian invasion of Ukraine is increasingly imminent.
According to the AP news agency, US officials said the State Department plans to announce this Saturday morning that all embassy staff in Kiev will be required to leave the country.
In recent hours, the Department had ordered the families of embassy staff in the Ukrainian capital to leave, but had left it to the discretion of non-essential staff to decide whether or not to stay. Meanwhile, the new measure was taken at a time when Washington has increased its warnings about a possible invasion ordered by Moscow .
The officials, who asked not to be identified because they are not authorized to speak on the matter, said a limited number of US diplomats could be relocated to western Ukraine , near the border with Poland , a US ally. North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
For its part, the Pentagon announced Friday that it will send an additional 3,000 combat troops to Poland , joining the 1,700 already there, in a show of US commitment to NATO allies concerned that Russia invade Ukraine.
The additional soldiers, corresponding to an infantry brigade from the 82nd Airborne Division, will leave Fort Bragg, North Carolina, during the next few days. Their mission will be to train and provide a deterrent, but they will not engage in combat.
The announcement came shortly after Jake Sullivan, national security adviser to President Joe Biden , issued a public warning for all US citizens in Ukraine to leave the country as soon as possible. Sullivan said Russian President Vladimir Putin could give the order to launch an invasion of Ukraine at any time.
Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin will speak this Saturday by phone
US President Joe Biden will speak by phone this Saturday with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.
The talk will take place amid the escalating crisis in Ukraine. ” They will talk on Saturday morning ,” they said from the White House.
The Kremlin wanted the leaders to talk on Monday, but eventually agreed to the US idea of a call earlier.
“The US side has asked for a talk with President Putin and the two presidents will talk tomorrow night,” Kremlin spokesman Dimitry Peskov said. “The request,” he added, “preceded a letter from the North American side.”
“Things could speed up quickly,” Biden had said in an interview with NBC News, warning of the power of the Russian army, with more than 100,000 soldiers deployed on the borders with Ukraine.