Fears Of A Russian Invasion Have Prompted The United States To Close Its Embassy In Kyiv And Relocate Its Remaining Diplomats to Western Ukraine

Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Monday that the US Embassy in Kyiv will close and the few remaining diplomatic personnel will be "temporarily relocated" to Lviv, a city in western Ukraine, "because to the significant acceleration in the buildup of Russian military."

"I've ordered these actions for one reason: the protection of our workers," Blinken said in a statement, "and we strongly urge all remaining US citizens in Ukraine to leave the country immediately."

The moves come days after the US ordered the vast majority of US government employees to leave the country and announced that consular services at the US Embassy would be suspended as of Sunday due to fears of a Russian invasion, despite US officials stressing their commitment to reaching a diplomatic resolution.

Despite Moscow's declaration that it is open to talks, State Department spokesman Ned Price said on Monday that "it remains unclear to us if Russia is interested in pursuing a diplomatic road rather than using force."

According to a source acquainted with the situation, a Russian attack on Ukraine this week is more likely than not.

According to Price, the State Department felt it was "absolutely important" to evacuate all remaining diplomats from Kyiv to western Ukraine because of the "clear prospect, perhaps more real than ever before, that Russia may decide to proceed with military action."

"We're basing our assessment on what we're seeing on the ground with our own eyes," he said at a State Department briefing, "which is a continued and unprovoked Russian buildup on the Ukrainian border with no accompanying evidence of de-escalation." He added that Lviv's location "affords it a degree of protection that other places in Ukraine may not have."