Netherlands advises citizens to leave Ukraine due to ‘security situation’

The Dutch government has advised Dutch citizens to leave Ukraine as soon as possible due to the security situation, the Dutch radio broadcaster BNR said on Friday, citing the Dutch ambassador in Ukraine.

The Netherlands will move its diplomatic post from Kyiv to Lviv in western Ukraine, BNR said.

Meanwhile, the US also called on its citizens to leave Ukraine immeditely, according to reports.

However, Ukraine on Friday played down US President Joe Biden’s advise, stressing it was not a sign of an imminent Russian invasion.

Kyiv has tried to calm the tensions, disagreeing with US intelligence assessments that an all-out war could break out at any moment.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Biden was simply restating earlier guidance from the US State Department.

“There is nothing new in this statement. We know the position of the United States, which has already made such statements,” Kuleba told reporters.

“They have already started evacuating some of their embassy staff and family members. This statement is not evidence of some radical change of the situation.”