Government official Joe Biden has discussed plans with the Ukrainian government for President Volodymyr Zelensky to leave Kiev in the event of a Russian invasion.
This was revealed by two people who know the discussion. Under the discussed plan, Zelensky will move to Lviv in western Ukraine, about 50 miles from the Polish border, said people familiar with the discussions.
Despite Zelensky's comments in recent weeks that the United States and Western governments are exaggerating the threat of a Russian attack, his government has been quietly preparing for a possible Russian military strike and moving sensitive IT infrastructure and elements of the military command outside of Kiev, two sources with knowledge of that matter.
"They've done everything they need to do to get ready," the source said.
"They did it very quietly," as quoted by NBC News, Wednesday (23/2/2022). Separately, US President Joe Biden and Zelensky spoke by phone on Monday, a White House official confirmed.
A Zelensky spokesman said the Ukrainian leader and Biden had not discussed his possible departure from Kiev and his relocation to Lviv. The spokesman did not know whether the discussions had taken place between lower-level officials in the US and Ukrainian governments.
A spokesman for the National Security Council declined to comment when asked about discussions between US and Ukrainian officials about Zelensky's plans if Russia attacked.
While trying to avoid panic in its public statements, the Ukrainian government has also tried to convey to Russia that it will face stiff resistance.
However, Zelensky is seen by government officials as increasingly vulnerable, say people familiar with discussions of his removing strategy.
American government officials do not believe that it would be wise for Zelensky to leave Kiev on Saturday to travel to Munich. But Zelensky traveled nonetheless and met with US Vice President Kamala Harris on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
People familiar with discussions about Zelensky's exit strategy said they don't know if the topic was brought up in his meeting with Harris.
John Herbst, the former US ambassador to Ukraine, said Kiev had taken steps to ensure the government would be able to operate uninterruptedly in the event of an attack, though he did not specify where the Cabinet would move in Ukraine.
"My understanding is that they have made contingency plans for the continuation of the government," Hersbt said.
The US evacuated most of its embassy staff in Kiev on February 12 and moved operations to Lviv due to security concerns about Russia's continuing military buildup on the Ukrainian border. US officials are now warning of an imminent invasion that could reach Kiev.
