U.S. Military Orders Troops to Reposition to Europe as Situation in Ukraine Escalates

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered U.S. dropped who has been deployed to Ukraine last year to leave Ukraine and reposition in Europe.

The movement came by as an estimated 100,000 Russian dropped equipped with advanced weaponry lined in Ukraine’s eastern border and the northern border with Belarus, a Moscow ally.

“The Secretary made this decision out of an abundance of caution — with the safety and security of our personnel foremost in mind — and informed by the State Department’s guidance on U.S. personnel in Ukraine,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby wrote in a statement.

“This repositioning does not signify a change in our determination to support Ukraine’s Armed Forces, but will provide flexibility in assuring allies and deterring aggression,” he added.

The State Department official said the dipolomactic staffs at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv will be reduced to “bare minimum”.

On Friday, Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security advisor, urged any Americans still in Ukraine to leave immediately.

Sullivan warned that Putin could order an invasion of Ukraine “any day now.”