Ukraine, currently under threat of a Russian invasion, urged its people on Saturday, 12 February, to avoid panicking in the face of imminent danger.
"At the moment, it is critically important to remain calm, to consolidate inside the country, to avoid destabilising actions and those that sow panic," the foreign ministry mentioned in a statement, reported AFP.
The East-European country uploaded, on their main tourism website, a new slogan that said, "Keep calm and visit Ukraine."
The message from Ukraine came after US warned its citizens not to travel to the country. The US on Friday warned of a "very distinct possibility" of a Russian invasion of Ukraine in the near future.
The warning included the likelihood of a potentially overwhelming attack on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.
US citizens have been asked to leave the country and the US has promised to hit Russia with massive sanctions in case of an invasion.
Heightened Tensions
Tensions have been simmering for months between Ukraine, NATO, and the US on one side and Russia on the other.
In January this year, Russia had planted over 100,000 troops along the Ukrainian border, escalating tensions to unprecedented levels. Russia has three demands from NATO:
The removal of NATO troops and infrastructure from Eastern European countries that joined after 1997
A guarantee that NATO would never welcome Ukraine into the alliance
A guarantee to not install missile systems on Russia’s borders
The US and other NATO allies have, so far, made no concessions to the demands, terming them as a non-starter since they go against NATO's core principles of an open-door membership policy.
US President Joe Biden went to the extent of warning Russia that it "will pay a heavy price" if it chooses to invade Ukraine.
Meanwhile, India had abstained from a vote on the Ukraine issue in the UN Security Council.
(With inputs from AFP)
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