quote:
The Biden administration is exploring options for a potential evacuation of US citizens from Ukraine if Russia were to invade the country and create a dire security situation, half a dozen sources tell CNN.

The contingency planning is being led by the Pentagon, the sources said, and comes as the administration briefs Congress on how the US is preparing. In a "gloomy" briefing to senators by senior State Department official Victoria Nuland on Monday night, Nuland outlined the tough sanctions package being prepared by the administration in response to a potential Russian attack, but acknowledged that the US' options to deter an invasion are fairly limited, a person familiar with the briefing said.

It is still unclear whether Russian President Vladimir Putin has made the decision to invade, US officials stressed. But he has amassed enough forces, equipment and supplies near Ukraine's borders that he could move to attack on very short notice.

The administration does not currently see a need for evacuations, the sources stressed —airlines are still operating from Ukraine's international airports and land borders to Ukraine's western neighbors are open. The discussions are part of planning in the event the security situation severely deteriorates, multiple officials involved in the planning emphasized.

The Defense Department and State Department have plans ready for worst-case scenarios in countries around the world, and plans are updated and changed in light of the situation on the ground.

But an evacuation of diplomatic staff from Ukraine remains very unlikely. Even if Ukraine is not a NATO member, the White House sees the country as a key Eastern European ally, and there is a strategic benefit in the presence of US diplomats and training forces in Ukraine. That makes a drawdown of the US footprint there far less likely than, for example, the drawdown of US diplomats and troops in Afghanistan.

If they’re saying all this right now, imagine what they do know that we don’t. I thought Russia invading Ukraine was definitely on the table, but you’d think they’d wait until Spring since the weather sucks.

quote:
Right now, the Pentagon is planning for a number of different scenarios in the event that an evacuation is necessary, ranging from a smaller evacuation of just nonessential US government employees to a larger one involving a broader swath of American citizens, the sources said.

The State Department would be responsible for ultimately determining whether an evacuation operation is necessary. Right now some planning is underway by the State Department's diplomatic security for either an authorized or ordered departure of diplomats from the country should the situation warrant it, a source familiar with the discussions said.

"We don't know that Putin has made up his mind to use force, but what we do know is that he's putting the Russian military, the Russian security forces in a place where they could act in a pretty sweeping way," CIA Director Bill Burns said at a Wall Street Journal CEO Council Summit on Monday.

Ahh, great same people as last time. Secretary of State Jerry Smith, Woke Mark Milley, Incompetent Lloyd Austin, General Beavis, and Secretary Butthead. Just who we need again. If you’re in Ukraine get the frick out of there now with these treasonous buffoons leading the charge.

This post was edited on 12/7/21 at 11:30 am