U.S. Embassy in Kyiv to Close Amid Threat of Airstrikes

U.S. Embassy in Kyiv to Close Amid Threat of Airstrikes
November 20, 2024, 2:01 pm

أوكرانيا وروسيا \ تعبيرية \ متداول

The U.S. Department of State's Consular Affairs Office announced that the Washington embassy in Kyiv will close its doors following information regarding a potential large-scale air attack.

In a statement posted on the website of the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, the office stated, "Out of an abundance of caution, the embassy will be closed, and staff members have been instructed to shelter in place."

The statement continued, "The U.S. embassy advises American citizens to take shelter immediately if air raid sirens sound."

This warning comes a day after Ukraine used U.S.-made ATACMS missiles to strike Russian territory, leveraging a recent permit issued by the outgoing administration of President Joe Biden on the thousandth day of the war.

Russia has warned the West for months that allowing Ukraine to use American, British, and French weapons to target deep inside Russia would lead Moscow to consider those nations members of NATO as directly involved in the war in Ukraine.

Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Russia would respond if Ukraine struck the Russian heartland with U.S.-made weapons.

On Tuesday, President Putin lowered the standards under which a nuclear strike could be launched in response to broader conventional attacks, escalating nuclear risks at a time when tensions are at their highest levels with the West in over half a century.

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