The Dutch are advised to leave ‘while commercial flights are still available’. Most embassy staff will also leave Ukraine, according to a statement by Minister Hoekstra. “The security situation was already worrying and has deteriorated further in recent days. In consultation with the various allies, I am now taking this step and calling on all Dutch people to leave Ukraine,” said Minister Hoekstra.
US President Biden will call Russian President Putin on Saturday to lower towering tensions over Ukraine. The US government says the Russian army could invade Ukraine ‘any moment’.
An invasion will likely begin with aerial bombardments, Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Friday. He said there are “very plausible possibilities” that Russia would then proceed to “take a significant part of Ukraine’s territory and major cities, including the capital.” Sullivan said he was relying on classified intelligence and provided no evidence.
Americans, British and Canadians have been urged by their governments to leave Ukraine. Germany and Belgium advised their citizens to leave on Saturday as well.
Russia has denied having any plans to invade for months, despite a massive build-up of troops north, east and south of Ukraine. However, Russia is also reducing the number of diplomats in Ukraine. The reason is “danger of possible provocation by the regime in Kiev or by other countries,” Russia’s foreign ministry reported on Saturday.
Before speaking with Biden, President Putin talks with French President Macron. Diplomatic summits will also be held on Saturday between Sergei Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, and his American counterpart Antony Blinken.
Call to calm
The Ukrainian government calls for calm. “It is now crucial to remain calm and united, and to avoid actions that undermine stability and sow panic,” a statement from Ukraine’s foreign ministry said. Ukraine estimates the chance of an invasion to be lower than the US. Ukraine did demand a statement from Russia on Friday for the build-up of troops on the Ukrainian borders.
The US and EU say they will finalize sanctions packages in the event of a Russian attack. Diplomatic sources tell Reuters news agency that one of the toughest sanction options, Russia’s closure of the international payment system Swift, is not being considered. According to Reuters, the sanctions target, among others, the Russian banking sector, technology sector and defense industry. Also on the table are sanctions against oligarchs linked to President Putin.