The European Union’s envoy to Ukraine has urged non-essential workers at its embassy in Kyiv to go away amid heightening rigidity with Russia.
The EU ambassador, Matti Maasikas, despatched a message to workers on Friday (11 February), encouraging the worldwide personnel to go away as quickly as attainable.
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“Having exchanged with the headquarters in Brussels, I’ve urged all expat colleagues except the important workers … to go away Ukraine ASAP to telework from exterior the nation,” the message learn, based on a screenshot of his e-mail seen by EUobserver. “I really feel very unhappy,” he wrote.
A spokesman for the EU’s overseas service, Peter Stano, stated the message to workers in Kyiv didn’t quantity to an evacuation.
“We aren’t evacuating. In the meanwhile, the non-essential workers has been given the chance to telework from exterior the nation,” Stano advised EUobserver on Friday.
US president Joe Biden earlier the identical day urged US nationals to go away Ukraine as a result of danger of battle.
Australia, Canada, Israel, and the US have already pulled out non-essential diplomats — however the EU had stored its delegation in place in a present of solidarity with Ukraine.
