JAMAICA | Opposition PNP wants Gov't to Immediately Evacuate Jamaicans from Ukraine

KINGSTON, Jamaica, February 11, 2022 - The Opposition Peoples National Party wants the government to move with alacrity in evacuating Jamaican nationals including students from the Ukraine where war drums are beating and there could be potential conflict within 48 hours according to media reports.

In a statement today, PNP spokesperson on Foreign Affairs Lisa Hanna  said the PNP "notes with grave concern the escalation of geopolitical tension in Ukraine, now with a possible imminent invasion by Russia as diplomatic efforts towards a peaceful settlement by the United States, Germany, France, and others wane."

"As the world continues to monitor the situation and hope for a guaranteed peaceful solution, we urge the Government of Jamaica not to wait but urgently activate channels for the immediate protection and evacuation of Jamaican nationals, including our students currently in Ukraine, the PNP statement said.

"Undoubtedly, with the commencement of the war, the skies will be closed to commercial traffic. The chaos with such an event will see hundreds of thousands of people internally displaced within conflict zones, potentially engulfing the entire country."

The Opposition pointed out that it is  "paying close attention to the situation, expecting that the Government of Jamaica will give the safety of our citizens the highest consideration at this time."  We stand ready to provide support if called upon, the statement concluded.

In the meantime, United States President Joe Biden has ordered all United States citizens to leave Ukraine immediately as tensions with Russia over its military activity continue to intensify.

The Russian government has amassed thousands of troops on the Ukrainan border. Trains loaded with large amounts of Russian military hardware, including tanks and other heavy armored vehicles, as well as heavy artillery, appear to be streaming toward the country's borders.

All British nationals in Ukraine should leave the country immediate, says the UK government.

The British Foreign Office says "British nationals in Ukraine should leave now while commercial means are still available."

Norway's government has issued the same advice, calling for all Norwegians to leave Ukraine immediately "due to a serious and unpredictable situation" in the country.

Russia began a 10-day program of military exercises with its neighbor Belarus on Thursday. NATO estimated 30,000 Russian troops were taking part, marking Moscow’s biggest military deployment in Belarus since the Cold War.

The drills, widely seen as a display of strength by Russia, come as around 130,000 soldiers, tanks, missiles and even fresh blood supplies have been moved to its border with Ukraine. Russia is demanding that Ukraine never be permitted to become a member of the NATO military alliance and has said it wants the organization to roll back its presence in Eastern Europe.

Russia has insisted it has no plans to invade Ukraine.

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