On Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki warned that Democrat President Joe Biden’s administration is unlikely to help evacuate U.S. citizens out of Ukraine if Russia were to invade the country.
“The White House has made it pretty clear there is no plan for a mass evacuation of American citizens in Ukraine,” a reporter said. “And, in fact, you and the President and others have suggested that Americans who are in Ukraine should leave now if they can. At the same time, it’s been projected that Russia could overtake Kyiv in two days if it invades.”
“So, what happens to Americans if they do get stranded in Ukraine?” the reporter asked. “Should they understand that the U.S. is not coming to get them?”
Psaki responded by pointing out that the Biden administration is not yet certain that Russia will end up invading Ukraine, but that the administration has been encouraging American citizens to leave for weeks.
Psaki added that “people should understand is that the United States does not typically do mass evacuations.” She then pointed to the Biden administration’s disastrous attempt to withdraw from Afghanistan and said the “situation in Afghanistan was unique for many reasons.”
REPORTER: “What happens to Americans if they do get stranded in Ukraine? Should they understand the U.S. is not coming to get them?”
PSAKI: “The United States does not typically do mass evacuations.” pic.twitter.com/kAz67kigsd
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) February 9, 2022
Psaki’s comments come shortly after Biden reportedly approved a Pentagon plan for U.S. troops in Poland to help Americans that are able to flee Ukraine and reach Poland.
“Some of the 1,700 troops from the 82nd Airborne Division being deployed to Poland to bolster that ally will in coming days begin to set up checkpoints, tent camps and other temporary facilities inside Poland’s border with Ukraine in preparation to serve arriving Americans, U.S. officials said,” The Wall Street Journal reported. “The troops aren’t authorized to enter Ukraine and won’t evacuate Americans or fly aircraft missions from inside Ukraine, officials said.”
“Instead, the officials said, the mission would be to provide logistics support to help coordinate the evacuation of Americans from Poland, after they arrive there from Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine, likely by land and without U.S. military support, the officials said,” the outlet added. “Roughly 30,000 Americans are in Ukraine, and if Russia attacks, some of them as well as Ukrainians and others would likely want to leave quickly, the officials said. Russia has been building up troops along the Ukraine border for months, and Western officials have said an invasion could come within weeks, while the Kremlin has said Russia doesn’t plan to invade Ukraine.”
