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The Canadian government has ordered family members of diplomatic staff in Ukraine to leave the country, though embassy staff will remain in place.
In a statement, Global Affairs Canada said that the government has decided to “temporarily withdraw” the children of embassy staff if they are under the age of 18, as well as family members accompanying them.
“Officials at Global Affairs Canada and at the Embassy of Canada to Ukraine in Kyiv will continue to closely monitor the situation,” reads the statement.
The decision to extricate diplomats’ families is due to “the ongoing Russian military buildup and destabilizing activities in and around Ukraine.”
Late Monday night Canada updated its travel advisory suggesting any non-essential Canadians should leave Ukraine.
“If you are in Ukraine, you should evaluate if your presence is essential,” reads the updated guidance to avoid non-essential travel to the region.
This comes after other countries, including the U.S. and the U.K., began withdrawing embassy and diplomatic staff from Ukraine over the weekend, amid heightened concerns of a Russian invasion.
Asked Monday whether Canada would follow suit, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was non-committal, telling reporters that there are “many contingency plans in place” to keep Canadian diplomats and their families safe.
Now into its second day of a three-day retreat, the federal cabinet is discussing what further support and assistance Canada will be sending to Ukraine.
In addition to the Canadian offer of a $120 million sovereign loan last week, Ukraine has been calling for Canada to expand operation UNIFER, provide defensive weapons, and impose more sanctions on Russia.
