Ukraine news from February
11: US, UK among countries advising citizens to leave amid warnings of a
potential Russian attack.
Service members of the Ukrainian Armed Forces are seen atop of tanks during military drills at a training ground in the Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine [File: Ukrainian Armed Forces press service via Reuters]
Estonia advises
nationals to return from Ukraine
Estonia’s foreign ministry has advised nationals to return from
Ukraine and
Latvia urges nationals
to leave Ukraine
Latvia has urged its nationals to leave Ukraine, citing in a
Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement what it called “a serious threat to
security posed by Russia near the Ukrainian border and a credible threat of
escalation”.
It said the Latvian embassy in Ukraine was working to the full
extent and in an emergency mode.
Norway asks citizens to
leave Ukraine, refrain from travel
Norway has advised all of its citizens to leave Ukraine and to refrain
from traveling into nearby regions of Russia and Belarus, citing the tense
security situation and military buildup in the region.
“Because of the serious and unpredictable security situation in
Ukraine, the foreign ministry is advising against all travel to Ukraine and
encourages Norwegian citizens to leave the country,” the ministry said in a
statement.
It also advised against any travel or stays to Russia closer than
250km (155 miles) from the Ukrainian border and all travel to Belarus with the
exemption of the capital Minsk, it added.
Israel evacuating
relatives of embassy staff in Ukraine
Israel has said it is evacuating relatives of staff at its embassy
in Kyiv, citing “an aggravation of the situation”.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement further urged Israelis
to avoid travelling to Ukraine and those there “to avoid areas of tension”.
Japan urges its citizens in Ukraine to leave
immediately
The Japanese foreign ministry has issued an
advisory urging any of the country’s nationals currently in Ukraine to leave at
once.
There are about 150 Japanese citizens in
Ukraine, a foreign ministry official said.
UK advises nationals to leave Ukraine
The United Kingdom has advised British nationals
to leave Ukraine now while commercial means are available. It also advised
against all further travel to the country.
The build-up of Russian forces on Ukraine’s
borders since January had increased the threat of military action, the UK
government said.
US to send 3,000
additional troops to Poland, officials say
The US will be
sending 3,000 additional troops to Poland in the coming days to try and help
reassure NATO allies, four US officials have told the Reuters news agency.
The officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the US
troop deployment will come from the 82nd Airborne Division based at Fort Bragg,
North Carolina, and not from within US forces in Europe.
They will now leave the base in the coming days and are expected
to arrive in Poland early next week, a senior defence official said.
UK’s Johnson tells allies he fears for security
of Europe
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has told
allies that he fears for the security of Europe due to the situation in
Ukraine, his office has said.
He held a virtual meeting with the leaders of
the US, Italy, Poland, Romania, France, Germany, the European Council, the
European Commission and NATO to discuss the situation.
“He impressed the need for NATO Allies to make
it absolutely clear that there will be a heavy package of economic sanctions
ready to go, should Russia make the devastating and destructive decision to
invade Ukraine,” his office said.
‘It is the time to leave now’: White House
The risk is “high enough” for Americans to leave Ukraine immediately, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has said at the White House.
“The risk is now high enough and the threat is immediate enough that prudence demands that it is the time to leave now,” Sullivan said.
“While commercial options and commercial rail and air service exist while the roads are open, the President will not be putting the lives of our men and women in uniform at risk by sending them into a war zone to rescue people who could have left now but chose not to. So, we were asking people to make the responsible choice.
“We are not saying that a decision has been taken – that a final decision has been taken by President Putin. What we are saying is that we have a sufficient level of concern based on what we are seeing on the ground,” Sullivan said.
Russian invasion
possible before Winter Olympics end: White House
A Russian invasion of Ukraine is possible before the Winter
Olympic Games in China end on February 20, the White House has warned.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said this does not mean
Russian President Vladimir Putin has made the decision to invade, but
counselled caution.
He said the US sees a “significant risk” of military action
in Ukraine and said the US is pressing for calm.
Russia attack on Ukraine
would likely start with air assault: White House
A Russian attack on Ukraine could begin any day now and would
likely start with an air assault, White House National Security Advisor Jake
Sullivan has said.
Sullivan, speaking at a White House briefing, said any American
still in Ukraine should leave in the next 24-48 hours because a Russian air
assault would make departures difficult.
Ukrainian skeleton slider uses Olympic spotlight
to call for peace
A Ukrainian athlete has flashed a small sign
reading “No War in Ukraine” to television cameras while competing at the Beijing
Olympics.
Skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych’s message
was printed on a blue-and-yellow piece of paper, matching the colours of his
country’s flag, and delivered as he finished a run.
And we have ourselves a statement: Ukraine's Vladyslav Heraskevych makes his views known after his third run in the men's skeleton. pic.twitter.com/VR6T9F5xMY
— Mark Dreyer (@DreyerChina) February 11, 2022
It is possible that the International Olympic
Committee could consider Heraskevych’s act a violation of Rule 50 of the
Olympic Charter. That rule, in part, states that “no kind of demonstration or
political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites,
venues or other areas”.
But it also could fall into a gray area since
the sign did not explicitly disrespect an opponent or criticise any political
target.
….
No comments:
Post a Comment