WASHINGTON – Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered U.S. troops who deployed to Ukraine last year to leave the country and reposition elsewhere in Europe.

The new marching order comes as an estimated 100,000 Russian troops equipped with advanced weaponry line Ukraine’s eastern border and the northern border with Belarus, a Moscow ally.

160 National Guard soldiers from Florida were deployed to Ukraine by the 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team in November.

“The Secretary made this decision out of an abundance of caution — with the safety and security of our personnel foremost in mind — and informed by the State Department’s guidance on U.S. personnel in Ukraine,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby wrote in a statement.

He said that although this repositioning doesn’t change our resolve to support Ukraine Armed Forces but it will allow us flexibility in assuring allies, and deterring aggressive behavior.

On Saturday, an official from the State Department stated that U.S. Ambassador in Kyiv would have its diplomatic staff reduced to “bare minimum.”

According to the official who spoke anonymously to reveal details regarding the State Department’s positions in Ukraine, he also gave new warnings to U.S citizens not yet leaving the country.

According to a senior State Department official, “It’s past time for private citizens that leave Ukraine.”

We place safety and security first, not just for our own citizens but also those of the U.S. government workers. Our fellow citizens are supported by us greatly. However, as you all know there are limits on what we can do in war zones,” said the official.

On Saturday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Austin spoke separately to Russian counterparts by phone. They urged Moscow not to escalate tensions and to follow a diplomatic route.

Jake Sullivan will be President Joe Biden’s national security adviser on Friday. urged any Americans still in Ukraine to leave immediately.

Sullivan stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin would launch an invasion of its ex-Soviet neighbour “anyday now.”

Over the past months, U.S. allies and their western partners have been witness to a growing number of Kremlin-backed forces at Ukraine’s border with Russia or Belarus. The Russian actions in 2014 to illegally annex Crimea (a peninsula at the Black Sea) prompted international protests and resulted in sanctions.

However, the Kremlin denies that troop deployments are a precursor to attacks and instead describes the move as a military exercise.