The Federal Foreign Office is calling on German citizens to leave Ukraine.
(Photo: imago images/photothek)
Berlin, Cairo After warnings from the US government of a possible impending Russian attack, the German government has now asked its citizens to leave Ukraine. The embassy in Kiev will remain open for the time being, according to a statement from the Federal Foreign Office on Saturday. It said: “If you are currently in Ukraine, check whether your presence is mandatory. If not, leave the country at short notice.” The USA, Great Britain, Denmark, Australia, Latvia and Estonia, among others, had previously asked their citizens to leave the country.
The Federal Foreign Office warned: “Tensions between Russia and Ukraine have increased further in recent days given the massive presence and movements of Russian military units near the Ukrainian borders. A military conflict cannot be ruled out.”
The German consulate general in Dnipro is to be relocated to Lviv (Lemberg). In future, this will enable employees to work further away from the so-called line of contact between the Ukrainian government troops and the Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.
A visit by Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) to Ukraine is planned for Monday. On Tuesday, Scholz wants to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time as Chancellor in Moscow.
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So far, there has been a travel warning for Ukraine due to the corona pandemic and a partial travel warning for the Donetsk and Luhansk administrative districts controlled by the separatists and the areas along the contact line.
The US government had warned of a possible invasion before the end of next week and had relocated around 3,000 more soldiers to the NATO partner state of Poland. US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to talk on the phone on Saturday. French President Emmanuel Macron also wanted to speak to the Kremlin boss.
After the military evacuation from Afghanistan, there was a discussion in Berlin as to whether the Federal Foreign Office had cleared the embassy in Kabul at the right time. As in Afghanistan, the Federal Government is also concerned in Ukraine with ensuring the security of German nationals without contributing to a destabilization of the situation in Ukraine through hasty measures.
More: Russia puts a “pincer grip” on Ukraine – “Everything indicates that something is going to happen now”