President Biden on Thursday issued an urgent warning that Americans in Ukraine should get out of the country now as the threat of a Russian invasion escalates.
“American citizens should leave now,” Mr. Biden said in an interview with NBC News.
“It’s not like we’re dealing with a terrorist organization. We’re dealing with one of the largest armies in the world. It’s a very different situation and things could go crazy quickly,” Mr. Biden said.
Mr. Biden said he would not send troops into Ukraine to rescue fleeing Americans, such an action would amount to a “world war.”
“That’s a world war when Americans and Russia start shooting at one another,” he said. “We’re in a very different world than we’ve ever been.”
Mr. Biden said if Russian President Vladimir Putin is “foolish enough to go in [to Ukraine], he’s smart enough not to, in fact, do anything that would negatively impact American citizens.”
When asked if he’s ever told Mr. Putin that harming Americans is a line that he can’t cross, Mr. Biden said he didn’t need to say anything.
“I didn’t have to tell him that,” he said. “‘I’ve spoken about that. He knows that.”
Earlier Thursday, the State Department issued an advisory that the U.S. would not be able to evacuate U.S. citizens in Ukraine if Russia invades. It also warned that consulate services, including assisting Americans trying to evacuate, would be “severely impacted.”
U.S. officials have warned that a Russian invasion of Ukraine could be imminent.