Ukrainian militaryWASHINGTON, Jan 24The United States does not consider the escalation around Ukraine imminent, the decision to leave some of the diplomats from the embassy was taken as a precautionary measure, said a senior State Department official. «We are taking steps now because Russia has deployed 100,000 troops on the Ukrainian border. We do not know if (Russian President Vladimir) Putin has made the final decision to invade, but he has provided the means to do so,» the official said in a telephone briefing. the representative of the department, the departure of diplomats will take place «for reasons of precaution and to maintain security.» As the official explained, the embassy should not be in a position where evacuation is needed in a state of escalation. «If Russia decides to further escalate, the consequences will be unpredictable,» the official said. Earlier, the State Department announced that on Monday it allowed the voluntary departure of part of the diplomatic staff from Ukraine and ordered all family members to leave the country, US citizens were recommended to leave the country on commercial flights. The ministry explained the warning issued by the risk of a sharp deterioration in the security situation. Russia has repeatedly rejected the accusations of the West and Ukraine of «aggressive actions», stating that it does not threaten anyone and is not going to attack anyone, and statements about «Russian aggression» are used as a pretext to deploy more NATO military equipment near Russian borders. The Russian Foreign Ministry previously noted that Western statements about «Russian aggression» and the possibility of helping Kiev defend itself against it are both ridiculous and dangerous. At the same time, Kiev and Western states have recently expressed concern about the alleged increase in «aggressive actions» sides of Russia near the borders of Ukraine. Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov said that Russia is moving troops within its territory and at its own discretion. According to him, this does not threaten anyone and should not worry anyone. As Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier, Russia does not create any pretexts for a conflict situation around Ukraine.
The United States called on Russia to reduce tensions around Ukraine
