WASHINGTON — Warning of “dramatic acceleration in the buildup of Russian forces” on Ukraine’s border, the U.S. on Monday announced it was closing its embassy in the capital city of Kyiv out of fear for the safety of its diplomats.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he’d been told that Russia would invade on Wednesday, a quip his office later said was meant sarcastically, reflecting what some in Kyiv think is a breathlessness on the part of members of the Biden administration who have warned of an imminent Russian attack.
Washington and most European capitals, as evidence of a looming invasion, point to Moscow’s amassing of more than 130,000 troops on its border with Ukraine and in its ally, Belarus, which sits on Ukraine’s northern border, just a two-hour drive from Kyiv. There is disagreement, however, on how soon such an action might take place.
