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The Department of Foreign Affairs has urged Irish citizens in Ukraine to leave the country immediately, as fears mount that a Russian military offensive is potentially imminent.
In a statement on Saturday, the department said that Irish citizens currently in Ukraine should leave it by commercial means, and that it was now advising against all travel to the country.
The statement said that the move to upgrade the travel advice for Ukraine followed “intensive consultations overnight and this morning with EU partners in Kyiv and Brussels”.
The department said that the Irish Embassy in Kyiv will remain open, with a small number of essential staff remaining. However, that situation will be kept under review.
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The statement added: “We remain in ongoing contact at senior level with EU partners, as well as the UK and the US, regarding the wider political and security situation in and around Ukraine.”
The department’s statement also noted that it “has been in direct contact with all of those scheduled to travel to Ukraine for surrogacy purposes in recent days. The department will continue to provide support to each of these individuals and families with advice relevant to their particular situation.”
The updated travel advice for Ukraine is available at dfa.ie/travel, while any Irish citizens requiring emergency consular assistance should contact the Department of Foreign Affairs on 353-1-4082000.
In a statement on Friday night, the department had said that travel advice for Ukraine will be kept “under constant review, in consultation with EU partners”, and that it was advising against all non-essential travel to Ukraine.
Nato moves
The updated advice on Saturday comes amid moves by several Nato members, including the UK, Canada, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, and Italy, to ask their citizens to leave Ukraine.
New Zealand has also called on its citizens to leave Ukraine as soon as possible.
Washington ordered most of its embassy staff to leave Ukraine on Saturday, adding to its call this week for private US citizens to leave the country as soon as possible.
The EU’s foreign policy chief said on Saturday the bloc is not withdrawing its diplomatic presence from Ukraine.
“The EU and its member states are co-ordinating their actions in view of the current threats on Ukraine. Our diplomatic missions are not closing. They remain in Kyiv and continue to operate in support to EU citizens and in co-operation with the Ukrainian authorities,” Josep Borrell said in a statement.
Russia's military build-up near Ukraine and a surge of Russian military activity has fuelled fears that Russia could invade the country. Russia denies having any such plans. However, a US official has said that the US had picked up intelligence that Russia is looking at Wednesday as a target date for an incursion.
Russian president Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Joe Biden held a high-stakes telephone call on Saturday as tensions escalate over the situation. Additional reporting: Reuters/AP