Biden warns Americans in Ukraine to leave, says sending troops to evacuate would

President Joe Biden issued a warning Thursday to any Americans who remain in Ukraine as Russia continues to threaten an invasion: Leave.

“American citizens should leave now,” Biden said in an interview with NBC News anchor Lester Holt.

“It’s not like we’re dealing with a terrorist organization. We’re dealing with one of the largest armies in the world. It’s a very different situation, and things could go crazy quickly,” he said.

Holt asked Biden what scenario could prompt him to send troops to rescue Americans fleeing the country. Biden replied: “There’s not. That’s a world war when Americans and Russia start shooting at one another.”

“We’re in a very different world than we’ve ever been,” he added.

Separately on Thursday, the State Department issued an advisory warning that the U.S. “will not be able to evacuate U.S. citizens in the event of Russian military action anywhere in Ukraine.” It warned that regular consulate service — including aiding citizens trying to leave the country — would be “severely impacted.”

According to a U.S. military and intelligence assessment, the Russian military could launch a full-scale invasion, with tanks that potentially could reach Kyiv, the capital, within 48 hours.

Biden argued that if Russian President Vladimir Putin is “foolish enough to go in, he’s smart enough not to, in fact, do anything that would negatively impact on American citizens.”

“Have you ever told him that?” Holt asked.

“Yes,” Biden responded.

“You’ve told him that, that Americans will be a line that they can’t cross?” Holt asked.

“I didn’t have to tell him that. I’ve spoken about that. He knows that,” Biden said.

A senior administration official said Friday that Biden would host a virtual meeting on Ukraine with the leaders of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada, the European Union, NATO, Italy, Romania and Poland in the morning. The White House said the leaders would “discuss our shared concerns about Russia’s continued buildup of military forces around Ukraine and continued coordination on both diplomacy and deterrence.”

On the issue of lifting indoor mask mandates, Biden signaled that it may be too soon to end the requirements that apply to federal government offices and public buildings.

California, Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, New York and Oregon — all states led by Democratic governors — announced this week that they were easing or ending mask mandates.

“I’ve committed that I would follow the science as put forward by the CDC and federal people, and I think it’s probably premature, but it’s, you know, it’s a tough call,” Biden said, referring to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Asked whether children should have to wear masks in schools, another debate raging at the state level, Biden pointed to schools that are being reopened. The CDC suggests wearing masks in places where the new case rate is higher than 50 cases per 100,000 people or the testing positivity rate…