US halts operations at its Belarus embassy, advises non-emergency officials to leave Russia

• The State Department said we have no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens

• A conference between representatives from Ukraine and Russia is taking place along the border in Belarus

The US embassy in Minsk, Belarus’s capital, ceased operations on Monday and authorized the "voluntary" evacuation of non-emergency officials and their families from its embassy in Moscow, Russia, The State Department said

“We took these steps due to security and safety issues stemming from the unprovoked and unjustified attack by Russian military forces in Ukraine,” said Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in a statement.

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The US Department of State's decision came after a senior official warned that Belarus would suffer consequences if it continued to facilitate and abet Russia's activities in Ukraine.

On the fifth day of the fighting, a conference between representatives from Ukraine and Russia was taking place along the border in Belarus. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine had first refused to undertake peace negotiations in Belarus, claiming that it was a staging area for the Russian attack.

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“The Department of State continually adjusts its posture at embassies and consulates throughout the world in line with its mission, the local security environment, and the health situation, Blinken said. 

“We ultimately have no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens, and that includes our U.S. government personnel and their dependents serving around the world.”

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The United States, the European Union, Canada, and the United Kingdom said over the weekend that they planned to cut several Russian banks off from the Swift network, a global payment system that connects foreign banks and allows cross-border financial transfers. 

Meanwhile, Russia's nuclear-deterrence forces have been placed on high alert, said President Vladimir Putin.

Picture Credits: ABC News