Canada’s foreign ministry on Sunday said that the country would temporarily withdraw non-essential Canadian employees and remaining dependents from its embassy in Ukraine. The decision has been taken amid the international standoff over Russian troops massed on Russia-Ukraine border.
“As we continue to closely monitor the situation, our highest priority remains the safety and security of Canadians. Our officials stand ready to provide consular assistance to Canadian citizens, as required,” the ministry said in a statement.
The embassy in Kyiv remains open, it said.
Canada said last week it will reinforce the team at the Canadian Embassy with experts in security, conflict management, democratic reform and consular services.
“Together, they will increase our diplomatic capacity and allow us to continue to assess and respond to the evolving situation in support of Ukraine,” it said.
Russia currently has more than 100,000 of its soldiers and military equipment at its border with Ukraine. Russia has been repeatedly claiming that it did not intend to invade Ukraine but claims from Russian camps suggesting security threat from Ukraine is seen as attempt to create a pretext for invasion.
Tensions are high between Russia and the West. Russia is fiercely against Ukraine joining the NATO and demanding assurances that this will never happen.
