More than a dozen countries urged their citizens to leave Ukraine amid warnings from Western powers that a invasion by Russia .
The USAthe United Kingdom and the Germany are among those who told their subjects to leave.
Moscow has gathered about 100,000 soldiers along the border with Ukraine, but denies any intent to invade.
In a telephone conversation, the President of the United States Joe Biden warned again Russian leader Vladimir Putin for the cost of any invasion.
From his side, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said warnings of an invasion could cause panic, which he called “the best friend of our enemies”.
The White House has warned that an invasion could happen at any time and could start with bombings from the air. Russia has labeled such allegations as “Provocative guesses”.
Unnecessary staff has been ordered to leave US Embassy in the Ukrainian capital Kiev and consular services will be suspended from Sunday, although “a small consular presence” will remain in the western city of Lviv “to deal with emergencies.”
THE Canada also transports staff from its embassy in Lviv, near the border with Poland, Canadian media reported. The United Kingdom’s ambassador to Ukraine, Melinda Simmons, wrote on Twitter that she and a “core group” were staying in Kiev.
Russia itself is making changes, saying it will “optimize the staffing” of its diplomats in Ukraine, citing “possible provocative actions by the Kiev regime or third countries.”
The US also withdrew approximately 150 soldiers who trained Ukrainian soldiers from the country. And the Dutch airline KLM announced that it will stop flights to Ukraine, with immediate effect, Dutch media reported.
Mr Zelensky said that if Western powers had any solid evidence of an impending invasion, they had not yet seen it.
“I think there is a lot of information in the media about a deep, large-scale war,” he said.
“We understand all the risks, we understand that they exist. “If you or anyone else has 100% reliable information about the Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine … please share it with us.”
Many countries, such as Australia, Italy, Israel, the Netherlands and Japan have told their citizens to leave Ukraine. Some have also evacuated diplomatic staff and their families.
Biden told Putin that any invasion would result in “rapid and serious cost to Russia,” the White House said in a statement.
“While the United States remains ready to engage in diplomacy … we are equally prepared for other scenarios,” he said.
The Kremlin described the call as part of a “peak hysteria” between the United States and its allies, and said that Putin had once again told his counterpart that they had not taken into account Russia’s security concerns. But both leaders will continue to talk, he said.
French President Emmanuel Macron also spoke by telephone with Putin on Saturday, telling him that “an honest dialogue was not compatible with the escalation,” according to a statement issued by the French embassy.
BBC
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