"We Stand By Ready To Authorize Resources Needed To Evacuate Americans to Safety as Required"
Senate Republicans pressure Biden administration to evacuate US citizens from Ukraine
A group of Senate Republicans are pressuring the Biden administration to guarantee an evacuation of all Americans from the threatened nation of Ukraine.
Ukraine faces potential imminent invasion at any moment, with as many as 150,000 Russian troops massed at Ukraine's borders.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin has not ruled out military action against his neighbor to the west, which has created an intense standoff between Russia on the one side and the United States and its Western allies on the other.
Even as US and other officials hope for a diplomatic resolution to the crisis, a group of Senate Republicans — including Sens. Joni Ernst, of Iowa; James Inhofe of Oklahoma; and Marco Rubio, of Florida — are asking Secretary of State Antony Blinken to do more “to evacuate American citizens from Ukraine in the event of a Russian invasion.”
The Republicans made their request in the form of a letter dated Wednesday.
The senators criticized a State Department advisory posted Saturday which read: “US citizens in Ukraine should be aware that the US government will not be able to evacuate US citizens in the event of Russian military action anywhere in Ukraine.”
Estimates put anywhere between 6,000 to 16,000 Americans in Ukraine, according to the letter.
“This response is wholly inadequate; the Department of State must do more to uphold its lawful responsibilities to protect and evacuate American citizens from Ukraine in the event of a Russian invasion,” the Republicans wrote.
The lawmakers closed their letter to Blinken by saying, “We stand by ready to authorize resources needed to evacuate Americans to safety as required.”
They also want to see a written reply from Blinken, including drawn-up evacuation plans by next Monday.
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