The U.S. State Department is ordering family members of U.S. diplomats in Ukraine to evacuate the country in the coming days and authorizing non-emergency personnel to leave as well.
“On January 23, 2022, the Department of State authorized the voluntary departure of U.S. direct hire employees (USDH) and ordered the departure of eligible family members (EFM) from Embassy Kyiv due to the continued threat of Russian military action,” it said in a travel advisory.
“U.S. citizens in Ukraine should consider departing now using commercial or other privately available transportation options,” it added.
The embassy will stay open for the time being, a State Department official said during the briefing, and most operations will continue as normal until further notice.
Earlier, the U.S. Embassy said that the first shipment of the United States' $200 million security support package for Ukraine arrived in Kiev. About 90 tonnes of "lethal security assistance", including ammunition, from the package approved by the U.S. in December arrived in the Ukrainian capital on Saturday. Yesterday, Ukraine received a second consignment of weapons from the U.S. - more than 80 tons of weapons. In total, $600 million worth of "sophisticated equipment, defensive equipment" was sent to Ukraine's government.
