Bahrain, Saudi, Kuwait & UAE tell citizens to leave now and not to travel to Ukraine

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait yesterday called on citizens to leave “immediately” or “postpone travel” to Ukraine amid threats of a Russian invasion.

The Foreign Ministry of Bahrain, in a statement, called on Bahraini citizens not to travel to Ukraine now and to leave it “for their safety”, citing security instability.

Citizens, the ministry said, can contact the operations office of Mofa on 0097317227555 for assistance. The move comes as the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday that Russia could invade Ukraine any time now, including during the ongoing Beijing Winter Olympics.

The US President Joe Biden had also made clear that he would not send troops to rescue Americans if Moscow invades Ukraine. The US asked its citizens not to travel to Ukraine “due to the increased threats of Russian military action.” Those in Ukraine “should depart now via commercial or private means”.

However, Russia has repeatedly denied any plans to invade Ukraine despite massing more than 100,000 troops near the border. Saudi said it is requesting citizens in Ukraine to call the embassy to “facilitate immediate departure” from the country.

Saudi has also asked citizens to “postpone their travel” until further notice, an Al-Arabiya report said. Kuwait and UAE have also made calls to their citizens to leave the country and postpone plans to visit Ukraine.

Multiple countries, including Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Italy, NetherlandsIsrael, Norway, South Korea, Latvia, Britain and other countries, had also advised their citizens to leave Ukraine.

When asked whether there was a scenario that could prompt him to send troops to rescue fleeing Americans, Biden told BBC: “There’s not. That’s a world war when Americans and Russia start shooting at one another. We’re in a very different world than we’ve ever been.”

However, neither Biden nor Blinken delved into the reasons for alarming calls to evacuate. Reports say there are an estimated 30,000 Americans in Ukraine.