Belgium, Kuwait, UAE ask nationals to leave Ukraine amid mounting invasion threats

As fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine continue to mount, many global nations have asked their nationals to depart Ukraine at the earliest. Belgium has joined the nations in, asking its citizens still in Ukraine to leave the country on Saturday. The alert comes after the United States warned that a Russian invasion of Ukraine might start with aerial bombardments in the coming days. Belgium's foreign ministry strongly cautioned against visiting Ukraine, stating that an evacuation was unlikely.

"Nationals who are currently in Ukraine and whose presence is not strictly necessary in the country are strongly advised to leave the country," Belgium's foreign ministry said in a statement.

According to the ministry, in the event of a 'sudden deterioration', communication linkages such as the internet and telephone lines might be severely disrupted, as well as air links. Further, on Saturday, the UAE embassy in Kyiv also issued an alert urging nationals to refrain from travelling to Ukraine. It advised Emirates citizens to postpone travel plans to Ukraine and supplied a phone number for those who were already there.

Kuwait, Jordan, Saudi Arabia join other nations in asking their citizens to leave Ukraine

Kuwait likewise encouraged its nationals not to travel to Ukraine and to depart if they were already there. Moreover, Saudi state television reported that the Saudi Arabian embassy in Kiev asked its citizens to contact them as soon as possible to organise their departure from the country. Furthermore, Jordan has also advised its citizens to leave Ukraine owing to current developments, revealed the foreign ministry. It also encouraged citizens to postpone any travel plans to the nation.

The series of evacuation requests comes in the backdrop of the US' warning of a possible Russian invasion anytime soon. After months of building up its military forces on Ukraine's borders, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan claimed Russia had reached the point where it could invade its neighbour in the near future.

The United States, as well as the United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, Australia, Japan, and South Korea, have already requested that their citizens leave Ukraine. The State Department had ordered all non-emergency staff at the US embassy in Kiev to leave owing to ongoing indications of a Russian military build-up on Ukraine's border, indicating the possibility of significant military action, the embassy said on Saturday.

(With inputs from agencies)

Image: AP