Canada has relocated its diplomatic staff in Ukraine to the city of Lviv, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said Saturday.
A statement from Joly said along with establishing a , located in western Ukraine near the border with Poland, Canada will temporarily suspend operations at its embassy in Kyiv "given the continued deterioration of the security situation caused by the buildup of Russian troops on Ukraine's border."
The minister said operations will resume at the embassy "as soon as the security situation in Ukraine allows us to ensure the adequate delivery of services and guarantee the security of our staff."
"Canada's diplomatic presence and strong engagement in Ukraine will continue. Services for Canadian citizens will also continue to be offered from the temporary office, by appointment only. However, our ability to provide consular assistance could become increasingly limited," Joly said.
"As always, our priority in these situations is ensuring the safety and security of all Canadians on the ground. Canadians should continue to avoid all travel to Ukraine. We urge those currently in Ukraine to leave now."
A statement from the on Saturday said Justin Trudeau spoke with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky.
"Prime Minister Trudeau reaffirmed Canada's steadfast support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and emphasized that any further military incursion into Ukraine would have serious consequences, including coordinated sanctions," .
The United States is evacuating its embassy in Kyiv of nearly all staff amid warnings of an increasingly imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The U.S. State Department will also maintain a small consular presence in Lviv.
The department previously ordered families of U.S. embassy staff in Kyiv to leave, something Canada has done as well.
During a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin Saturday, U.S. President Joe Biden warned that invading Ukraine would cause "widespread human suffering."
Biden also said the U.S. and its allies would respond "decisively and impose swift and severe costs" if Russia attacked Ukraine, according to the White House.
Russia has denied it plans to invade but has massed well over 100,000 troops near its border with Ukraine and sent troops to exercises in neighbouring Belarus.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has pushed back against what he called excessive amounts of information about a major looming war.
"The best friend of our enemies is panic in our country. And all this information is just provoking panic and can't help us," he said. "I can't agree or disagree with what hasn't happened yet. So far, there is no full-scale war in Ukraine."
The U.S. has ordered an additional 3,000 troops to Poland, on top of the 1,700 that are en route. The U.S. army also is shifting 1,000 soldiers from Germany to Romania.
Canada extended Operation UNIFIER, to train Ukrainian armed forces and the National Guard, by another three years in January and announced the deployment of 60 more troops to Ukraine.
A group of 200 Canadian Armed Forces members are sent to the country every six months. Those troops have since moved west of the Dnieper River over concerns of a Russian invasion.
Canada also announced plans in January to ship non-lethal equipment to Ukraine and has offered a $120 million loan, as well as up to $6 million in the form of a "technical assistance grant."
About 600 Canadian troops are leading a NATO battlegroup in Latvia, tasked with defending against any Russian attack since 2017.
Ukraine is not a member of NATO and its proposed entry is something Russia has forcefully pushed back on.
Canadians in need of consular assistance in Ukraine are asked to contact Global Affairs Canada's 24/7 Emergency Watch and Response Centre in Ottawa at:
- telephone at 1 613 996 8885
- email at sos@international.gc.ca
- SMS at 1 613 686 3658鈥�
"For the latest information on the situation, Canadians should continue to check our Travel Advice and Advisories for Ukraine and sign up with the Registration of Canadians Abroad service."
With files from CTVNews.ca Producer Sarah Turnbull, CTVNews.ca Online Politics Producer Rachel Aiello, The Canadian Press and The Associated Press
