The head of the US Embassy in Ukraine, Queen, explained the departure of diplomats as an “excess of caution”
Kristina Queen. Photo: Kevin Lamarque / Reuters
The head of the US Embassy in Ukraine, Kristina Queen, explained the decision to send the families of American diplomats to their homeland as an “excess of caution”, as well as the large number of mission staff. She said this in an interview with MSNBC.
She also made it clear that she herself made such a decision, which was then criticized by the Ukrainian authorities, and is confident in her rightness. “My main task is to ensure the safety of our diplomats and their families,” Queen said, adding that she ultimately decided to send the families home out of an abundance of caution, as well as due to the fact that the United States has a very large-scale presence in Ukraine.
Queen recalled that there are many American families in Kiev, so she wanted to guarantee them the opportunity to safely return by commercial flights without the need to “rush to the exit.”
On January 26, the US Embassy in Ukraine called on American citizens who are in the territory of the republic to think about leaving the country. The diplomats urged US citizens to consider such a possibility due to the “increased threat of military actions by Russia” and the unpredictability of further development of the situation.
