The U.S. Embassy in Kiev urged American citizens in Ukraine to consider departing now, saying that the security situation in the country was "unpredictable due to the increased threat of Russian military action."
The security situation in Ukraine "can deteriorate with little notice", the embassy said on its website on Wednesday.
In Washington, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. Embassy in Kiev would remain open but added that Americans in the former Soviet country should "strongly consider leaving."
Earlier this week, the United States urged its citizens not to travel to Ukraine.
