Monday’s announcement by the State Department in Minsk was that it had suspended operation at the embassy there. It also allowed the voluntary evacuation of family members from Russia’s embassy in Moscow.

In a statement, Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that “We took these measures due to safety and security issues stemming out the unprovoked attack by Russian military force forces in Ukraine.”

Biden’s latest actions represent the latest erosion in diplomatic ties to the Kremlin. This Kremlin was condemned by much the international community, and has suffered crippling sanctions due to its aggression in Ukraine. Alexander Lukashenko’s regime in Belarus borders Ukraine, and it is close allied to Russian President Vladimir Putin. also been sanctioned, most recently by the European Union.

According to Blinken, the statement stated that the U.S. “authorized non-emergency staff and their families to leave the Embassy in Moscow.”

Blinken explained that “The Department of State continuously adjusts their posture at embassies, consulates across the world in line avec its mission, local security environment and the health condition.”

He stated that “we ultimately have no higher priority then the safety and security U.S. citizens and that includes U.S. government employees and their dependents serving all over the globe.”