US asks Americans to consider leaving Russia immediately
The US State Department has advised American citizens to consider leaving Russia immediately after Russian President Vladimir Putin put the country’s nuclear deterrence forces on “high alert.”
“An increasing number of airlines are canceling flights into and out of Russia, and numerous countries have closed their airspace to Russian airlines. US citizens should consider departing Russia immediately via commercial options still available,” the State Department said on Sunday.
The US last month warned American nationals against traveling to Russia because of escalating tensions between Washington and Moscow.
In response to aggressive statements by NATO’s leading members, Putin said he had ordered “the deterrence forces of the Russian army to a special mode of combat duty.”
The Biden administration condemned Putin’s order and senior Republicans called for a new round of sanctions targeting Russia’s energy sector.
US ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield accused Putin of “continuing to escalate this war in a manner that is totally unacceptable.”
“We have to continue to condemn his actions in ... the strongest possible way,” she added.
Putin announced on Thursday a “special military operation” in Ukraine’s Donbas region to “defend people” subjected to "genocide" there against government forces, stressing that Moscow has “no plans to occupy Ukrainian territory.”
Biden called the Russian action an "unprovoked and unjustified attack," and the American media described it as the biggest assault on a European state since World War Two assault by Russia.
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