While Washington says it fears an imminent air attack from Russia in Ukraine, Ottawa is following suit by temporarily closing its embassy in kyiv.
“The Canadian Embassy to Ukraine in Kyiv has temporarily suspended in-person services due to the security situation,” the government webpage reads.
Canada therefore joins at least five other Western countries having closed their embassies on Wednesday: the United States, Spain, Italy, Hungary and Greece.
These closures follow a warning from the American embassy on Wednesday morning, which fears a “possible significant air attack” on Ukraine. “As a precaution, the embassy will be closed and embassy employees have been instructed to shelter in place,” U.S. consular officials said in a statement posted on the embassy website.
News agencies report that warning sirens sounded in the Ukrainian capital on Wednesday night.
These closures come a day after the Ukrainian army used long-range American missiles on Russian territory. Russia has promised an “appropriate” response to the attack on its territory.
The Biden administration also announced it would provide U.S. antipersonnel mines to Ukraine on Wednesday.
At a press briefing in Ottawa, the Minister of National Defense, Bill Blair, expressed concern about the situation, but affirmed that the military resources provided to Ukraine are the “clearest path to resolving the conflict” .
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, for his part, supported the decision of American President Joe Biden to give Ukraine the green light to use these missiles. “It will allow Ukraine to continue to stand firm in this important conflict,” he declared during his participation in the G20 summit in Brazil on Tuesday.
Ukraine deplored the diplomatic reactions on Wednesday and called on Westerners not to fuel “the tension” maintained for several days by Moscow.
“The threat of strikes […] has unfortunately been a daily reality for Ukrainians for more than a thousand days,” responded Ukrainian diplomacy, denying that the risk was higher than usual.
With Agence France-Presse
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