美国驻伊拉克代理大使乌克兰周二告诉美国广播公司新闻大使馆外交官家属离境令之所以发布，是因为如果俄罗斯愿意，它可以“随时”发动攻击。

大使馆负责人克里斯蒂娜·克维恩(Kristina Kvien)是在与乌克兰国防部副部长站在严寒中，在基辅的鲍里斯皮尔机场接受79吨美国军事援助后发表上述言论的，这些援助旨在帮助乌克兰抵御俄罗斯。

鉴于俄罗斯可能入侵的威胁，美国国务院周日命令外交官家属离开，并授权非紧急工作人员离开，因为莫斯科在乌克兰边境附近集结了10多万军队。乌克兰政府批评了这一决定，称其“为时过早”且“过于谨慎”。此后，英国、加拿大、澳大利亚和德国以各种形式纷纷效仿，但大多数欧洲国家迄今表示，它们不认为有必要采取这一步骤。

克维恩告诉美国广播公司新闻，考虑到俄罗斯的建设规模，部分撤离的决定是出于“高度谨慎”。

她说:“做出这个决定是因为现在弗拉基米尔·普京和俄国已经在边境建立了军事力量，他们现在随时都可以采取行动。“考虑到这一点，我们觉得出于谨慎，我们必须确保使馆人员的安全。所以这是决定的基础。”

克维恩说，俄罗斯已经建立了如此多的军队，这“意味着俄罗斯可以在任何时候做任何事情。”

肖恩·盖洛普/盖蒂图像公司

美国大使馆临时代办克里斯蒂娜·克维恩(右二)和乌克兰副国防部长

她说:“这就像是用枪指着乌克兰的头。“我们不认为乌克兰应该生活在一把上膛的枪顶着它的头。”

乌克兰官员公开表示不同意美国的评估，即俄罗斯随时可能发动袭击。国防部副部长汉娜·马尔亚尔周二表示，目前在边境的俄罗斯军队数量“不足以进行全面入侵。”

总的来说，乌克兰官员更怀疑俄罗斯是否真的会发动大规模袭击，最近几天，他们越来越多地质疑美国即将发动袭击的说法。乌克兰国家安全委员会主席阿列克谢·达尼洛夫周一告诉英国广播公司，“俄罗斯军队的数量并没有像许多人所说的那样增加”。

相反，乌克兰官员暗示，他们认为俄罗斯目前的集结旨在以袭击威胁破坏乌克兰的稳定，包括破坏其经济。乌克兰总统沃洛季米尔·泽伦斯基在视频讲话中敦促乌克兰人不要恐慌，入侵的威胁现在不比俄罗斯2014年开始冲突时更严重。

克维恩说，她认为乌克兰政府非常重视这一威胁。

她说:“我确实认为，泽伦斯基总统非常认真地对待这一威胁，他正在谨慎地做必要的准备。

“他们长期以来一直受到俄罗斯的威胁。所以我会说，他们只是多了一点点，就像他们说的那样，用法语唱。但这并不意味着他们不把它们当回事，”她说。

美国军事援助物资周二抵达，这是一周内抵达的第三批物资，是2亿美元安全援助计划的一部分，该计划被批准用于帮助乌克兰自卫和威慑俄罗斯。

交付的武器包括276枚标枪反坦克导弹、800多枚SMAW-D肩射“掩体摧毁”导弹、170磅50口径弹药和炸弹处置服。

克维恩说，这些武器显示了美国对乌克兰主权和领土完整的“绝对、坚如磐石的支持”。

美国仍在寻求通过外交手段避免俄罗斯的攻击。俄罗斯要求美国保证乌克兰永远不会加入北约，北约将从冷战后加入的东欧国家撤军。

美国已经排除了这种可能性，但提议讨论其他安全问题，如限制导弹部署和军事演习。

克维恩重申，美国能够与俄罗斯谈论“一些领域”来试图解决其关切，例如“军备控制、军事演习方面更好的透明度”，但她重申，乌克兰试图加入北约的选择不在讨论范围内。她说，她希望普京会选择走外交道路。

“我认为这是唯一合理的途径。我认为这是最终将导致一个更安全的欧洲的唯一途径，普京表示他希望有一个更安全的欧洲。

US evacuated diplomats' families from Ukraine out 'abundance of caution,' acting ambassador says

The acting U.S. ambassador toUkrainetold ABC News Tuesday that anorder for diplomats' families at the embassy to leave the countrywas issued because Russia could attack "any day now" if it chose.

Kristina Kvien, the embassy's charge d'affairs, made the remarks after standing in the bitter cold with a Ukrainian deputy defense minister to receive a 79-ton delivery of American military aid at Kyiv's Boryspil Airport, intended to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia.

The U.S. State Department on Sunday ordered diplomats' families to leave and authorized non-emergency staff to depart if they choose, in light of the threat of a possible Russian invasion, as Moscow masses over 100,000 troops near Ukraine's borders. Ukraine's government has criticized the decision, calling it "premature" and "excessively cautious." The United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Germany have since followed suit in various forms, but the majority of European countries have said so far they do not believe such a step is warranted.

Kvien told ABC News the decision on the partial evacuation was taken out of an "abundance of caution" given the scale of the Russian build up.

"The decision was made because right now Vladimir Putin and Russia have built up such military might on the border that they could take an action any day now," she said. "And with that in mind, we felt that out of an abundance of caution, we had to make sure that our embassy families were safe. So that was the basis for a decision."

Kvien said Russia had built up so many troops it "means that Russia could do anything at any moment."

"It's like a gun to the head of Ukraine," she said. "And we don't think that Ukraine should have to live with a loaded gun to its head."

Ukrainian officials have publicly disagreed with the U.S. assessment that a Russian attack could take place at any moment. A deputy defense minister, Hanna Malyar, on Tuesday said the number of Russian troops at the border currently is "not enough for a full-scale invasion."

In general, Ukrainian officials are more skeptical that Russia will really go through with a major attack and in recent days they have become increasingly vocal in contesting the picture coming from the U.S. that an attack is imminent. The head of Ukraine's national security council, Alexey Danilov, on Monday told the BBC that "the number of Russian troops is not increasing in the way many people are presenting it".

Ukrainian officials instead have suggested they believe Russia's build up is currently intended to destabilize Ukraine with the threat of attack, including by undermining its economy. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in video addresses has urged Ukrainians not to panic and that the threat of invasion is not worse now than when Russia began the conflict in 2014.

Kvien said she believed Ukraine's government views the threat seriously.

"I do think that President Zelenskyy is taking the threat very seriously, and he is being careful to make preparations as needed," she said.

"They've been living with Russian threats for a long time. So I would say that they are just a bit more, 'sang froid' as they say, in French. But that doesn't mean that they don't take them seriously," she said.

The U.S. military aid shipment landing on Tuesday was the third to arrive in a week, part of a $200 million security aid package approved to help Ukraine defend itself and deter Russia.

The delivery included 276 Javelin anti-tank missiles, over 800 SMAW-D shoulder-fired "bunker buster" missiles, 170 pounds of 50-caliber ammunition and bomb disposal suits.

Kvien said the weapons demonstrated the U.S.' "absolute, rock-solid support" for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The U.S. is still seeking to avert a Russian attack through diplomacy. Russia has demanded guarantees from the U.S. that Ukraine will never join NATO and that the alliance will pull back forces from eastern European countries that joined after the Cold War.

The U.S. has already ruled that out but has proposed discussing other security issues, such as limits on missiles deployments and military exercises.

Kvien repeated there are "some areas" that the U.S. is able to talk about with Russia to try to address its concerns, such as "arms control, better transparency in terms of military exercises," but she reiterated that Ukraine's choice to try to join NATO was not on the table. She said she hoped Putin would choose to take the path of diplomacy.

"I think that it's the only reasonable path. I think it's the only path that ultimately will lead to a more secure Europe, which Mr. Putin says he would like to have," she said.