U.S. shuts embassy in Belarus, OKs evacuation from embassy in Moscow

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a news conference at the State Department in Washington, U.S., February 22, 2022. Carolyn Kaster/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

WASHINGTON, Feb 28 (Reuters) – The United States shuttered its embassy in Minsk and allowed non-emergency employees and family members to leave its embassy in Moscow on Monday as Russia pushed on with its invasion of Ukraine for a fifth day.

“We took these steps due to security and safety issues stemming from the unprovoked and unjustified attack by Russian military forces in Ukraine,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

A photo posted on Twitter by U.S ambassador to Belarus Julie Fisher on Monday showed mission staff lowering the American flag. All American staff have left Belarus, Fisher tweeted.

U.S. citizens in Belarus should also depart immediately, the State Department said in a separate travel advisory.

The United States had already relocated its Ukraine embassy operations from the capital Kyiv to the western city of Lviv two weeks ago as Russian forces amassed at Ukraine’s borders.

The latest evacuations come after Russian President Vladimir Putin put Russia’s nuclear deterrent on high alert on Sunday in the face of a barrage of Western reprisals for his war on Ukraine, which said it had repelled Russian ground forces attacking its biggest cities.

On Sunday, the U.S. State Department said American citizens should consider leaving Russia immediately on commercial flights, citing an increasing number of airlines canceling flights and countries closing their airspace to Russia after its invasion of Ukraine.

Russia on Monday barred airlines from 36 countries from using Russian airspace.

European nations and Canada on Sunday moved to shut their airspace to Russian aircraft. The United States is considering similar action, but has yet to make a final decision, U.S. officials have said.

U.S. officials on Monday warned Belarus will also face consequences for its role in aiding Russia with the attack as Washington and its allies escalated severe economic sanctions on Moscow. The EU also warned it would impose new sanctions on Belarus this week.

Reporting by Katharine Jackson; editing by Susan Heavey; Chizu Nomiyama and Andrew Heavens

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