UK begins to withdraw embassy staff from Ukraine amid fears of Russian invasion
The UK and US have moved to withdraw some of their staff from their respective Ukraine embassies as fears continue to mount that Russia is preparing to launch a military invasion of its neighbour.
The Foreign Office said there were increased fears over a Russian attack on Ukraine and said the situation had become “highly unstable”.
Around half of Britain’s embassy staff in Kiev have been today told to go back to the UK with their families, after the US issued a similar warning.
The US has called for all its citizens in Ukraine to consider leaving immediately as “security conditions, particularly along Ukraine’s borders, in Russia-occupied Crimea, and in Russia-controlled eastern Ukraine, are unpredictable and can deteriorate with little notice”.
Ukrainian authorities have expressed dismay with the partial withdrawals, with the country’s foreign office saying the move was premature.
Oleg Nikolenko, a spokesman for the ministry, said: “While we respect [the] right of foreign nations to ensure safety and security of their diplomatic missions, we believe such a step to be a premature one and an instance of excessive caution.”
Russia has an estimated 127,000 troops stationed along the border with Ukraine, with fears growing that President Vladimir Putin will soon launch an invasion of the country.
Defence secretary Ben Wallace is set to soon meet his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu in Moscow in a bid to cool tensions and move toward a negotiated settlement.
US secretary of state Antony Blinken yesterday said it is “certainly possible that the diplomacy the Russians are engaged in is simply going through the motions and it won’t affect their ultimate decision”, while refusing to rule out potential American military involvement.
Raab, a former foreign secretary, told Sky News yesterday that the threat of a Russia-Ukraine war was “very significant” and urged Putin to “step back from the brink”.
When asked if the UK would send troops to Ukraine if Russia invades, Raab said: “It’s extremely unlikely we would do that, but what we can say is we’re already willing and engaging in training programmes to support Ukrainians defending themselves. That’s absolutely right.”
The UK Foreign Office on Saturday warned that the Kremlin was trying to install a pro-Russia government in Kiev, with a number of potential names floated.
The department said Ukrainian MP and media owner Yevhen Murayev was one of several potential candidates Russia was looking at.
Foreign secretary Liz Truss said: “Russia must de-escalate, end its campaigns of aggression and disinformation, and pursue a path of diplomacy. As the UK and our partners have said repeatedly, any Russian military incursion into Ukraine would be a massive strategic mistake with severe costs.”