The State Department has reportedly directed families of U.S. Embassy personnel in Ukraine to prepare for an evacuation as early as Monday.
According to Fox News, U.S. officials said the State Department will also prompt Americans to leave the country by commercial flights, “while those are still available.”
The U.S. Embassy in Ukraine reported that the first delivery of ammunition arrived late Friday night – at the direction of President Joe Biden.
One U.S. official said concerns among the Pentagon are mounting following the arrival of Russian fighter jets in Belarus, north of Ukraine. And the U.S. government intends to move “a ton” of weaponry into Ukraine in the days ahead, Fox reports.
The U.S. authorized stinger and anti-tank missiles to be sent from the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania to Ukraine.
In a joint statement issued Friday, defence ministers of the three Baltic states said they “stand united in our commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in face of continued Russian aggression.”
U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken acknowledged his support of transferring defensive equipment in a tweet Saturday.
“I expedited and authorized and we fully endorse transfers of defensive equipment @NATO Allies Flag of Estonia Flag of Latvia Flag of Lithuania are providing to Ukraine to strengthen its ability to defend itself against Russia’s unprovoked and irresponsible aggression.”
I expedited and authorized and we fully endorse transfers of defensive equipment @NATO Allies are providing to Ukraine to strengthen its ability to defend itself against Russia’s unprovoked and irresponsible aggression. https://t.co/wFOLv0Wi2V
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) January 22, 2022
The news comes just days after Blinken made a stop in Ukraine to try to prevent a Russian invasion.
CBN News previously reported that Blinken said the U.S. hopes diplomacy can still win out, but he maintains that if Russia chooses to renew aggressive action against Ukraine, it will encounter very serious consequences.
“And as we’ve noted, this will have financial components, economic components, export control components, etc.,” Blinken said during a joint news conference with the Ukrainian foreign minister last week.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden answered questions at his press conference Wednesday about the crisis.
“It is going to be a disaster for Russia if they further invade Ukraine, and that our allies and partners are ready to impose severe costs and significant harm on Russia and the Russian economy,” Biden said.
The Biden administration has said it was giving an additional $200 million dollars in defensive military aid to Ukraine. Blinken says more is on the way, and that total will increase if Russia invades.
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