The Biden administration is reportedly getting ready to evacuate Americans from Ukraine should Russian President Vladimir Putin choose to invade the country.
Right now, the Pentagon is planning for a number of different scenarios in the event that an evacuation is necessary, ranging from a smaller evacuation of just nonessential US government employees to a larger one involving a broader swath of American citizens.
— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) December 7, 2021
The administration does not currently see a need for evacuations, the sources stressed —airlines are still operating & land borders are open. The discussions are part of planning in the event the security situation severely deteriorates.
— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) December 7, 2021
The Biden administration planning another evacuation should terrify everyone, especially the Americans who could potentially need to be evacuated from Ukraine. https://t.co/gGsoqcMJRP
— Michele Perez Exner (@michelepexner) December 7, 2021
Putin has amassed more than 90,000 Russian troops on Ukraine's border. The Ukrainian government has indicated it is also preparing to defend against an invasion.
Senior US defense official tells @foxnews US intelligence sees signs that #Putin plans to invade #Ukraine on multi fronts using 175,000 troops in early 2022. The US govt is taking Putin’s signaling seriously. They are not treating it as a bluff.
— Benjamin Hall (@BenjaminHallFNC) December 4, 2021
President Joe Biden spoke with Putin on a video call Tuesday morning. Yesterday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki previewed the conversation.
"In terms of the focus of the meeting, as was announced when we announced it this weekend, it will, it is an opportunity for the President to underscore, of course, U.S. concerns with Russian military activities on the border with Ukraine, and reaffirm the United States support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine," Psaki said. "It's also an opportunity to discuss a range of topics in the U.S. and Russia relationship, including strategic stability, cyber, and regional issues. But you can certainly expect that our concerns about the military activities on the border will be a prominent part of the discussion."