US orders ambassador families in Ukraine to leave soon

The US State Department has ordered American Embassy staff families living in Ukraine to begin evacuation as soon as possible on Monday.

The department is also expected to tell Americans in Ukraine that next week they will leave on commercial flights “while they are still available”, an official told Daily Mall.com.

This came after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met in Geneva on Friday for difficult talks on the crisis in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zelensky has predicted a wide-scale “war with Russia if the superpower tries to invade the industrial city of Kharkiv CHA, which he believes is a target because of its large Russian-speaking population.

Blinken said there was no progress in talks with the former United States of the Cold War in an effort to prevent a close fight with Ukraine.

After meeting with President Zelensky, Blinken warned that Russia could attack Ukraine in a very short “recognition” during comments at the American Embassy in Kiev on Wednesday.

Blinken told embassy staff at Kiev: “We know there are plans to increase that force (ruse) even more in a very short notice. ”

This gives President Putin the capacity, also in a very short notice, to take further aggressive action against Ukraine,” said Blinken.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it is important not to try to win political points in such a fragile situation.

Moscow insists that there are no plans to invade, but at the same time has submitted a series of requests, including preventing Ukraine's NATO membership in exchange for de escalation.

At first, Russia announced new sea exercises that would make it deploy to the Atlantic, Pacific, Arctic and Mediterranean more than 140 warships and supporting ships, more than 60 aircraft, 1,000 pieces of military equipment and about 10,000 soldiers.

The announcement followed an angry condemnation by the Kremlin for what it described as “that has been stalwarming” by Beden, after the American leader pledged a harsh “ ” response to any invasion of Ukraine.

Russia has already held joint military exercises Wednesday with forces of the former Soviet republic Belarus, which is also neighbouring Ukraine.

An American official said the exercises could envision a permanent Russian military presence involving conventional and nuclear forces in Belarus.