U.S. State Department orders non-emergency embassy staff to leave Ukraine

KYIV - The U.S. State Department has ordered non-emergency U.S. embassy staff to leave Ukraine amid rising tensions with Russia, the embassy said on Saturday.

"Despite the reduction in diplomatic staff, the core embassy team, our dedicated Ukrainian colleagues, and @StateDept and U.S. personnel around the world will continue relentless diplomatic and assistance efforts in support of Ukraine's security, democracy, and prosperity," it said on Twitter.