US moves its embassy in Ukraine for fear of a Russian attack “this week”

U.S announced this Monday the transfer “temporal” of its embassy operations in Ukraine from the capital, Kiev, to the largest city in the west of the country, Lviv, by insisting that Russia could attack the country “this week”.

While Russia mentioned the possibility of an agreement with the United States and NATO that could resolve the escalation of tension around Ukraine the US government insisted on its skepticism and that it has not seen “no tangible sign” of de-escalation by Moscow.

“An invasion could start at any moment (…). I could start this week.” White House deputy spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre told a news conference.

That statement contrasted with one made shortly before by Pentagon spokesman John Kirby, who acknowledged that he did not believe that Russian President Vladimir Putin had yet made a decision.final” on whether to invade Ukraine.

TRANSFER TO THE WEST

However, for “prudence” and to ensure the “Security of your staff”, the State Department announced its decision to “temporarily relocate operations” from the American embassy from Kiev to Lviv, about 70 kilometers from the border of Ukraine with Poland.

“This prudent precautionary measure in no way undermines our support or our commitment to Ukraine”, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

The group of diplomats that will operate from Lviv (Lviv) is small, because the United States already ordered the departure of Ukraine of non-essential staff at your embassy and the suspension of consular services.

Moving that small contingent to the west of the country allows the United States to maintain a presence on the ground in Ukrainewhile facilitating the possibility of evacuating them -if necessary- to Poland, where the Pentagon has ordered the deployment of 4,700 soldiers.

Last week, the White House approved a plan for those soldiers to build shelters and other temporary facilities on Poland’s border with Ukraineto help Americans fleeing the country in the event of a hypothetical Russian invasion.

Blinken insisted that the suspension of operations at the embassy in Kiev is “temporal” and that that building will be reoccupied “As soon as conditions allow”, but the logistics of that transitory transfer have already involved many costs.

DESTRUCTION OF COMPUTERS

According to The Wall Street Journal, the State Department has ordered the destruction of computers and other communication equipment at the embassy in Kiev, in addition to dismantling the building’s telephone system, which will be guarded by the National Guard of Ukraine.

The confidential materials that were kept in the embassy arrived this Sunday at the Dulles (Virginia) airport, on the outskirts of Washington, along with 56 workers from the diplomatic mission, according to an internal document obtained by the newspaper.

The United States has warned that a Russian invasion of Ukraine could start with aerial bombardment and a siege of Kiev, and insists that any Americans still in the country should leave “immediately”while there are still commercial transportation options.

Washington’s insistence on a possible imminent invasion contrasts with the position of Ukraine whose National Security and Defense Council assured this Monday that there are no signs of a Russian attack in the short term.

At a press conference in Kiev, President UkraineNo, Volodymyr Zelensky also criticized the decision of the United States and other embassies to transfer their staff to the west of Ukrainethinking that “If something happens in one part”, That will reverberate throughout the country.

NO ADVANCES WITH MOSCOW

But State Department spokesman Ned Price stressed that the possibility of a Russian military attack is “more real than ever before”, and insisted that Moscow has not given “no tangible, real sign of de-escalation”.

“We need a de-escalation for diplomacy to advance”, Price stressed at a press conference.

Blinken’s spokesman thus played down the importance of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s assertion that there are still possibilities of reaching an agreement with the United States and NATO on “key issues” of the security guarantees demanded by Moscow.

The same message came from the White House, where the deputy spokeswoman claimed that Russia send “more and more troops every day” to the border with Ukraine but ensured that “the door to diplomacy is open” if Moscow decides to go through it.

Those statements from Washington made it clear that there has been little progress on the diplomatic track since Saturday’s call between US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

As the narrative battle continues between the United States and Russia, which insists it does not plan to attack Ukraine Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin begins a tour of Europe tomorrow, Tuesday, to visit US troops in Polish and Lithuanian territory.

The defense secretary will also participate in a NATO ministerial meeting in Brussels on February 16-17, the Pentagon announced.