London: Britain has asked its nationals in Ukraine to leave the country in a day as Russia could invade any time. The UK Foreign Office’s warning came as the US said that Russia is ready to invade the country.
The US also issued an urgent advisory to their citizens asking them to leave Ukraine.
US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Russia was in the position to be able to mount a major military operation in Ukraine any day now and it could start with an intense aerial bombing. But he stressed the US did not know whether President Vladimir Putin had made a final decision.
A host of other countries have also urged their nationals to leave Ukraine. They include Canada, the Netherlands, Latvia, Japan and South Korea
However, Moscow has repeatedly denied any plans to invade Ukraine despite amassing more than 100,000 troops near the border. Russia’s foreign ministry has also accused Western countries of spreading false information.
In the meantime, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he would speak to Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov today in a last-ditch attempt to head off a possible invasion of Ukraine.
Addressing a press conference in Fiji he said, if Russia is genuinely interested in resolving this crisis of its own making through diplomacy and dialogue, US is prepared to do that. But it must take place in the context of de-escalation. So far, we’ve only seen escalation from Moscow, he added.
