UK Withdraws Staff from Ukraine as NATO Sends Reinforcements to Eastern Europe

On Monday, the United Kingdom (UK) began to withdraw some embassy staff and family members from the Kiev embassy in Ukraine in “response to a growing threat from Russia.”

American diplomats are also allowed to leave the country if they want to, although they are not yet being ordered to do so. Non-essential embassy staff and US citizens have been urged to leave, and a state department official said that if there was an invasion, the US government "will not be in a position to evacuate US citizens."

The announcement comes as NATO allies are putting forces on standby and sending additional ships and fighter jets to eastern Europe as Russia continues to build-up its military on Ukraine’s border.

Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said NATO will “take all necessary measures to protect and defend all allies.” He said: "We will always respond to any deterioration of our security environment, including through strengthening our collective defense.”

Ukraine's foreign ministry spokesman, Oleg Nikolenko, said the U.S. decision was “a premature step” and a sign of “excessive caution.”

He said that Russia is sowing panic among Ukrainians and foreigners in order to destabilize Ukraine.

Germany is monitoring developments, but German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock stressed that "we must not contribute to unsettling the situation further; we need to continue to support the Ukrainian government very clearly and, above all, maintain the stability of the country."