Ukraine crisis: Biden urges Americans to leave

Washington, Feb 11: President Joe Biden has urged US citizens to leave Ukraine immediately as fears over a possible Russian invasion mount.

"American citizens should leave now," Biden said in a pre-recorded interview with NBC News Thursday evening.

'Things could go crazy quickly'

"We're dealing with one of the largest armies in the world. It's a very different situation and things could go crazy quickly," Biden said.

The president reiterated that under no circumstances would he be sending troops to Ukraine to evacuate US citizens in the event of a conflict.

"That's a world war. When Americans and Russians start shooting one another, we're in a very different world," he said.#

Tensions between the West and Russia are increasing, with some US estimates claiming 130,000 Russian soldiers located near the border with Ukraine.

NATO: Biggest military drills since Cold War

Biden's remarks were released just hours after Russian and Belarusian forces embarked upon a 10-day large-scale military exercise in Belarus, drawing an ominous warning from NATO.

The alliance described the live-fire drills as Russia's biggest military operation in Belarus since the Cold War.

NATO said Moscow's deployment of missiles and heavily-armored troops marked a "dangerous moment" for Europe some three decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu said that the drills were being held for the "military security of both countries and the fight against terrorism."

Meanwhile, the US military's most senior uniformed leader spoke with the head of the Belarusian armed forces.

US General Mark Milley spoke to his Belarusian counterpart, Maj. Gen. Viktor Gulevich, on Thursday, the Pentagon said.

"The phone call facilitated communication between both leaders to reduce chances of miscalculation and gain perspectives on current European security," the Pentagon confirmed.

Western leaders have been making a concerted diplomatic effort to reduce tensions in recent weeks, with frequent visits from leaders and top diplomats to both Moscow and Kyiv.

jsi/wmr (AFP, Reuters)

Source: DW