Germany and France Order Evacuation of Nationals from Ukraine... NATO Also Withdraws Staff from Kyiv Office

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] As military tensions in Ukraine have significantly escalated, the German and French governments have urged their citizens to leave Ukraine immediately. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is also reported to have withdrawn all staff from its Kyiv office.

According to major foreign news agencies including AFP on the 19th (local time), the German Foreign Ministry stated, "Military confrontation could occur at any time," and advised German nationals to leave Ukraine immediately. German airline Lufthansa also announced that it would temporarily suspend flights between Kyiv and Odesa from the 21st until the end of the month due to the situation in Ukraine.

The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs also announced on the same day that its citizens staying in Kharkiv (Russian name: Kharkov), Luhansk, and Donetsk should leave without delay. Additionally, it recommended that French nationals in other parts of Ukraine depart unless they have a special reason to remain.

This announcement came amid rising tensions over concerns about a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine. Previously, the United States, the United Kingdom, and others had also urged their citizens to leave Ukraine.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) announced on the same day that it had withdrawn staff from its office in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, according to dpa news agency. A NATO spokesperson said, "The safety of our staff is paramount," and accordingly, staff were relocated to Lviv, Ukraine, and Brussels, Belgium. However, NATO added that other offices within Ukraine would continue to operate.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.