Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had received no notifications or requests from foreign diplomatic missions regarding a possible relocation from Kyiv. The ministry was responding to a report by The Guardian that Western embassies were preparing contingency plans in case the situation in the capital deteriorates further.
This was reported by LIGA.net, citing Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry.
“I do not know where some foreign media outlets got this information from. As of now, we at the Foreign Ministry have received no such requests or notifications from foreign diplomatic missions about plans to relocate anywhere,” the ministry said.
The Guardian previously reported that Western diplomats have publicly stated their intention to remain in Kyiv, as leaving could be used by Moscow as a propaganda victory and create the impression that Ukraine was being abandoned by its partners.
At the same time, two senior diplomats told the newspaper in off-the-record conversations that contingency plans were being developed in case of an emergency.
According to The Guardian, such scenarios could include relocating embassies to Lviv or eastern Poland if Russia begins deliberately targeting foreign diplomatic missions.
“The situation is clearly deteriorating rapidly,” one diplomat quoted by the newspaper said.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry stressed, however, that as of now it has received no official notifications from foreign diplomatic missions about such plans.
