Biden approves plan to help Americans leaving Ukraine if Russia attacks

The White House has approved a Pentagon plan for US troops in Poland to help thousands of Americans likely to flee Ukraine if Russia attacks, as the Biden administration tries to avoid the kind of chaotic evacuation conducted in Afghanistan, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

Some of the 1,700 troops from the 82nd Airborne Corps being deployed to Poland to bolster that ally will in coming days begin to set up checkpoints, tent camps and other temporary facilities inside Poland’s border with Ukraine in preparation to serve arriving Americans, US officials said, according to the WSJ. The troops aren’t authorised to enter Ukraine and won’t evacuate Americans or fly aircraft missions from inside Ukraine, officials said.

The mission at the Poland-Ukraine border would be to provide logistics support to help coordinate the evacuation of Americans from Poland, after they arrive there from Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine, the report added. 

Meanwhile, a senior Russian official accused the West on Wednesday of ramping up political pressure by supplying weapons and ammunition to support Ukraine during a standoff over a Russian military buildup.

Banks in Europe, US told to prepare for cyberattacks (Reuters)

The European Central Bank is preparing banks for a possible Russian-sponsored cyber attack as tensions with Ukraine mount, two people with knowledge of the matter said, as the region braces for the financial fallout of any conflict. The European Central Bank, led by former French minister Christine Lagarde  and which has oversight of Europe’s biggest lenders, is on alert for the threat of cyber attacks on banks launched from Russia, sources said. The New York Department of Financial Services issued an alert to financial institutions in late January, warning of retaliatory cyber attacks should Russia invade Ukraine. 

Japan to divert LNG to Europe amid fears of disruptions (AP)

Japan has decided to divert some of its gas reserves to Europe amid growing concern over possible disruptions of supplies due to the Ukraine crisis, Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Koichi Hagiuda said on Wednesday.  The decision was made at the request of the United States and European Union and is intended to help European countries cope with uncertainties about gas supplies given fears of a possible Russian incursion into Ukraine, he  said after meeting with US Ambassador Rahm Emanuel, who arrived in Japan in late January.