State Dept. Spox Says ‘Majority’ of Americans in Ukraine Have Left or Plan to and We’re in ‘Regular Contact’ Doesn’t Give Specific Number

On Wednesday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Hallie Jackson Reports,” State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said that the State Department has “been in regular contact” with Americans in Ukraine, and “the majority of those 6,600 Americans who were there in October have either left or plan to leave.” But declined to give a specific number.

Host Hallie Jackson asked, “Do you have an update of how many Americans have left…Ukraine since the crisis escalated?”

Price responded, “So, what I can tell you is that, in October, we estimated that there were about 6,600 Americans resident in Ukraine at the time. Now, that very same month, we started urging Americans not to travel to Ukraine, and more recently, we have been telling Americans, consistently and repeatedly, that they should leave Ukraine. We have been in regular contact with Americans in Ukraine who have told us they are there to provide them guidance, to learn about their plans, to learn about where they are, and what I can say is that the majority of those 6,600 Americans who were there in October have either left or plan to leave. That is a very good thing. Right now, we’re focused on those Americans who are still there, and who, for whatever reason, do not plan to leave. We are urging them to leave now while they still have commercial or private options available to do so.”

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