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President Biden was quick to close down the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv as Russians invaded Ukraine, but there is debate on whether this was the right foreign policy move.
The U.S. closed its embassy on Feb. 14. The Russian invasion of Ukraine began 10 days later on Feb. 24.
Several experts weighed in on the president’s move to so quickly close up shop in Kyiv, but were split on whether the move was a sign of prudence or weakness.
James Jay Carafano, a vice president at the conservative Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital that he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin viewed the move as “a sign of weakness.”
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President Biden’s decision to evacuate the embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine, so early has experts divided. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
“Truth be told the U.S. response was largely shaped by the disaster of the withdrawal from Afghanistan,” Carafano said in a Monday email. “The administration approached the crisis in Ukraine with an incremental, risk-averse response.
“They did want to get caught with photos of a Saigon-like moment in a pullout of Kyiv,” Carafano continued. “There is no question that Putin could well have interpreted this approach as a sign of weakness.”
Meanwhile, Georgetown professor of government and foreign service Matthew Kroenig dubbed the decision a “hard call” in a Monday email to Fox News Digital, but said he believes the move by Biden was a prudent one.
People gather for a Stand With Ukraine Rally in Times Square on Feb. 24, 2022 in New York City. (Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
“It is a hard call. On one hand, it would be nice if the U.S. embassy in Kyiv remained opened as a show of American support of, and confidence in, the Ukrainian government as it stands up to the Russian invasion,” Kroenig, a Vandenberg Coalition advisory board member, said.
“On the other hand, it would be irresponsible to risk the lives of U.S. diplomats by forcing them to remain in a war zone without adequate protection,” he continued. “We all remember the Benghazi incident as an example of what can go wrong when diplomatic security is not prioritized.”
Kroenig said that on balance, “it was the correct and prudent move to go ahead and shut down the U.S. embassy in Kyiv.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow on Feb. 14, 2022. (Alexei Nikolsky/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images)
“The lives of American diplomats take precedence over a symbolic show of support to the Ukrainians,” he added. “After all, I am sure [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelenskyy values our Stingers and Javelins more highly than our diplomats for the challenges he faces right now.”
Kroenig’s fellow Vandenberg Coalition advisory board member and former acting Under Secretary of State Nathan Sales agreed, calling “the decision to draw down our embassy” in the Ukrainian capital “regrettable,” but “necessary to protect our diplomats serving on the front lines.”
“The Russian army fights dirty. Look at the carnage in Syria and you’ll have an idea of what the Kremlin is capable of in Ukraine,” Sales said in a Monday email. “We’re already seeing reports that Russian forces are indiscriminately attacking civilian areas across the country, and we simply can’t expose our people to that risk.”
“That said, it would be a powerful gesture of solidarity with the Ukrainian people to leave behind a small team of volunteers to run our embassy and engage with the Ukrainian government,” he continued.
Ukraine has seen nearly a week of fighting since the Russian invasion ordered by Putin began.
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The U.S. began the closure of the Kyiv embassy quickly as Russian forces built up at the Ukrainian border.
Since Russia’s invasion of Kyiv, the U.S. and other nations have imposed economic sanctions that have crippled the ruble and made it worth less than a penny.