Original title: Russia-Ukraine tensions, multinational operations: evacuate the families of diplomats, discuss the evacuation of overseas Chinese and issue a travel warning
Recently, the relationship between Ukraine and Russia has deteriorated rapidly. The two sides have deployed a large number of military personnel and weapons in the border areas of the two countries. Many Western countries have claimed that Russia has the intention of “invading” Ukraine.
According to The Paper (www.thepaper.cn), when the relationship between Russia and Ukraine continues to be tense, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia and other countries have evacuated the family members of diplomats from Ukraine, while Japan and South Korea and other countries are considering evacuating overseas Chinese. Norway, Sweden and other countries have issued travel warnings, calling on people not to travel to Ukraine for non-essential travel.
UK, US first to evacuate family members of diplomats
According to the British “Guardian” report on January 24, the United States and the United Kingdom are withdrawing the families of diplomats from their respective embassies in Ukraine as concerns grow over Russia’s “invasion” of Ukraine. The U.S. State Department is urging families of staff at the country’s embassy in Kiev to leave Ukraine, and non-essential embassy staff can also leave Ukraine with U.S. government funding. The EU has said that the families of diplomats need to stay put for the time being.
Canadian television news (CTV News) reported on January 24 that Canada is recommending that any Canadians staying in Ukraine no longer should leave Ukraine and avoid non-essential travel to Ukraine. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did not make it clear that Canadian diplomats in Ukraine would be evacuated, but said: “The safety of Canadian diplomats and their families is of course paramount.” Patricia Skinner, a spokeswoman for Canada’s global affairs department (Patricia Skinner) said the ministry will develop prudent contingency plans for various emergencies and will continue to focus on the safety of Canadian missions abroad.
According to a report by Al Jazeera on January 25, the Canadian government said it had ordered the temporary evacuation of children under the age of 18 and accompanying family members of the country’s embassy diplomat in Ukraine, adding in a statement that there would be “ Continue to closely monitor the situation.”
Japan, South Korea and other countries or evacuated nationals
According to a report by Kyodo News on January 24, due to the tense relations between Russia and Ukraine, the Japanese government is also discussing plans to withdraw relevant staff of the Japanese embassy in Ukraine and Japanese nationals in Ukraine. A Japanese official said he hoped Japanese citizens would be evacuated from Ukraine as soon as possible. Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroichi Matsuno said that intelligence will be shared with the Group of Seven (G7) countries to take concrete measures, and will continue to monitor the development of the situation and take swift measures if necessary. He also called on the local Japanese diaspora to be prepared in case of unforeseen circumstances.
At the same time, Yonhap News Agency reported on the 26th that the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs also raised the travel safety warning level for 12 Ukrainian states to the third level on January 25, and suggested that South Koreans in Ukraine should evacuate as soon as possible. Previously, the Korean embassy in Ukraine held a discussion with Korean expatriates in Ukraine to discuss emergency measures in the event of an emergency. The Blue House of South Korea’s Presidential Office said on January 26 that it had held several meetings to assess the tension in Ukraine and re-examined the security risks and countermeasures faced by local Koreans.
It is worth noting that the South Korean embassy in Uzbekistan has not yet formulated an evacuation plan for diplomatic staff and their families.
Many countries recommend avoiding unnecessary travel
According to a report by Bloomberg on January 22, the British Foreign Office advised people in the country not to make non-essential travel to Ukraine. The British Foreign Office said in a consultation on the 22nd that even if the overall situation in Ukraine and its surrounding areas is stable, Russia-Ukraine relations are in a stage of rapid change due to uncertainty about Russia’s intentions.
Canada’s “National Post” reported on January 24 that Norway’s foreign ministry suggested canceling all non-essential travel to Ukraine, saying the situation in Russia and Ukraine had become “tense and unpredictable.”
According to the Schengen Visa Info website on January 24, the French government also warned its citizens to avoid unnecessary travel to Ukraine.
Al Jazeera reported on January 25, citing the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that for security reasons, the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs advised residents not to travel to Ukraine (including the Crimea Peninsula and Donetsk in eastern Ukraine unless it is necessary). and Luhansk region) to avoid safety accidents.
The Irish government has also advised against non-essential travel to Ukraine, RTE reported on January 26. Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin said Ireland had called for a de-escalation of tensions between Russia and Ukraine as Russian troops had assembled on the Ukrainian border, and said Ireland supported a diplomatic solution based on the rules of the international order.