US Plans To Return Embassy To Kiev As Other Countries Already Reopening Their Missions

US Plans to Return Embassy to Kiev as Other Countries Already Reopening Their Missions

The US embassy in Ukraine is hoping to return to Kiev in late May as European countries' missions are already resuming their operation in the Ukrainian capital

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd May, 2022) The US embassy in Ukraine is hoping to return to Kiev in late May as European countries' missions are already resuming their operation in the Ukrainian capital.

Last week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the embassy would reopen in Kiev in a couple of weeks.

"Today is my first day back to Ukraine and we are doing it as a day trip. We expect to continue to do day trips (from Poland to Lviv) for the next week or two, and then we very much hope that the conditions will permit to go back into Kiev by the end of the month," US Charge d'Affaires Kristina Kvien said on Monday during a press conference in Lviv broadcast on social media.

When asked if she could got o Kiev immediately, the diplomat replied that she is following instructions from security specialists and will return to the capital once they give the green light.

Meanwhile, several European countries announced on Monday their embassies are reopening in Kiev, including Hungary, Cyprus and Sweden.

"Like other EU countries, we have decided to bring back to Kiev the Hungarian embassy that was temporarily transferred to Lviv," Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in a video address posted on social media, adding that the physical part of the relocation was done on the weekend and the embassy is now working in Kiev.

Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde tweeted that her country's mission will reopen in Kiev on Wednesday and thanked Poland for temporarily hosting the mission.

The Cypriot Foreign Ministry also announced that its mission will begin gradual resumption of operations in Kiev, suspended on February 26, starting this Tuesday. Denmark and South Korea announced on Monday reopening their mission in Kiev as well.

Some countries did not wait that long, as the French Foreign Ministry announced transferring the country's embassy in Ukraine has been transferred back to Kiev from Lviv in mid-April.

On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine after the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk appealed for help in defending themselves against Ukrainian forces. Many countries began evacuating or relocating their embassies to the western parts of Ukraine even before the Russian advance.