Countries urge citizens to leave Ukraine

UK and Norway have issued statements in order to urge their citizens to immediately leave Ukraine as a safety measure, as current tensions could quickly get out of control.

The British Foreign Office stated in a warning notice:

"British nationals in Ukraine should leave now while commercial means are still available. [...]British Nationals should not expect increased consular support of help with evacuating in these circumstances.”

Nevertheless, despite not offering any consular assistance, the British embassy will remain open for now. Moreover, citizens still present in Ukraine will be provided information regarding the situation on regular basis.

Norway's officials also issued similar warnings, with the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs calling for Norwegians to exit the country by using commercial routes "due to a serious and unpredictable situation". Citizens were as well advised to avoid all non essential travel to Belarus, or within 250km of the Ukrainian or Russian borders. Moreover, travellers in the area should use the Reiseklar app for the latest updates on the situation.

The Norwegian government’s website also quotes that, in case conflict escalates, "the Foreign Service will have a limited opportunity to help Norwegian citizens in these areas."

Other countries have also advised against travel to Ukraine.

US President Joe Biden asked Americans to leave after saying that "things could go crazy quickly."

The government in The Netherlands urged for Dutch citizens to fled Ukraine, while moving its diplomatic hub from Kyiv to Lviv.

Japan and Latvia also urged nationals to evacuate and avoid travel in the area "regardless of purposes", as a safety-related measure to avoid consequences of escalating tensions.

 

Source: euronews.com