In a post he shared on Facebook Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, declared that his country “will be attacked by Russia on Wednesday.” The declaration exhorted the people of the country to remain strong, saying that “our state is stronger than ever.”
Zelensky stated in his post “Great people of a great country! There have been serious external and internal challenges in front of our country, which require responsibility, confidence and concrete actions from me and each of us.
“We are intimidated by a great war and once again set the date of the military invasion. This is not the first time. But our state is stronger today than ever.
“We strive for peace and want to solve all issues exclusively through negotiations,” Zelensky stated, declaring “Donbass and Crimea will return to Ukraine.”
Ukraine President says attack coming on Wednesday
However, he stated that this would only happen “in a diplomatic way.
“We have an amazing army,” the Ukrainian president stated, noting “Our boys have unique combat experience and modern weapons,” going on to make a reference to the Russian takeover of the Crimea in 2014, noting “This is already times stronger than the army eight years ago.
Related: Two Greeks killed in Ukraine on Monday
“We are confident in our armed forces, and our military too should feel our support, our togetherness and our unity. The basis of our army is the confidence of our own people and a strong economy.
“We are told that February 16 will be the day of attack,” Zelensky stated, without giving corroboration for his statement. “We will make it a union day. The decree has already been signed. This afternoon we will hang national flags, put on blue-yellow ribbons and show the world our unity.”
Blinken: “Path to diplomacy remains available”
The Ukrainian leader, who has reportedly experienced a drop in popularity in recent days, went on to rally his people against a Russian threat, saying “We have one great European aspiration. We want freedom and are ready to vote for it. Fourteen thousand defenders and civilians who died in this war are watching us from the sky. And we will not betray their memory.”
The statement comes as intelligence agencies in the United States say that an attack by Russia is indeed not far in the future.
“We all want to live happily, and happiness loves the strong. We have never been able to give up and we are not going to learn that,” Zelensky stated in his post, adding “Love Ukraine! We are at peace! We are strong! We are together!”
Monday also saw the closing of the US embassy in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. The US had pulled out most of its personnel weeks ago.
In a statement issued just after 2 PM Eastern time, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken declared:
“I have no higher priority than the safety and security of Americans around the world, and that, of course, includes our colleagues serving at our posts overseas. My team and I constantly review the security situation to determine when prudence dictates a change in posture.
“With that in mind, we are in the process of temporarily relocating our Embassy operations in Ukraine from our Embassy in Kyiv to Lviv due to the dramatic acceleration in the buildup of Russian forces. The Embassy will remain engaged with the Ukrainian government, coordinating diplomatic engagement in Ukraine. We are also continuing our intensive diplomatic efforts to deescalate the crisis.
“These prudent precautions in no way undermine our support for or our commitment to Ukraine. Our commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity is unwavering. We also continue our sincere efforts to reach a diplomatic solution, and we remain engaged with the Russian government following President Biden’s call with President Putin and my discussion with Foreign Minister Lavrov.
“The path for diplomacy remains available if Russia chooses to engage in good faith. We look forward to returning our staff to the Embassy as soon as conditions permit.
“In the meantime, I have ordered these measures for one reason — the safety of our staff — and we strongly urge any remaining U.S. citizens in Ukraine to leave the country immediately. U.S. citizens seeking emergency assistance in Ukraine should complete this online form, and the State Department will follow-up, as appropriate.”
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