White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday that America would “welcome” Russian citizens seeking asylum in the U.S.
Jean-Pierre made the comment after multiple reports noted that tens of thousands were fleeing the country as Russian President Vladimir Putin imposed a military draft — reportedly designed to conscript more than 1,000,000 soldiers in three phases.
Jean-Pierre shared her comments during a White House press briefing as new reports show that Russians are flooding neighboring Eastern European countries with some injuring themselves in a desperate bid to avoid conscription.
During the press briefing, a reporter asked Jean-Pierre: “I know the White House has drawn a distinction between the Russian government and the people of Russia. Does the president have a message for some of these men who are desperately trying to flee the country?”
Jean-Pierre responded: “We are seeing protests in the streets of Russia, we are seeing people sign petitions, and I think the message they are sending to us very clearly is that this war that Putin started … is unpopular. There are people out there in Russia who do not want to fight Putin’s war or die for it.”
Jean-Pierre continued: “We believe that, regardless of nationality, they may apply for asylum in the United States and have their claim adjudicated on a case-by-case basis. We welcome any folks who are seeking asylum, and they should do that.”
Putin reportedly announced the new conscription order after a series of Ukrainian counteroffensives successfully took back large swaths of land temporarily held by the Russian army. Also, the planned annexation of several regions in Ukraine will likely require additional Russian troops.
Mongolia, Georgia and Kazakhstan have reported high numbers of Russian military-aged men (18-65) entering their countries. Georgia officials stated that daily border crossings have nearly doubled in less than a week.
Georgia Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri told reporters Tuesday: “About four to five days ago, there were five to six thousand visitors [from Russia] daily, and now it has increased to about ten thousand.”
A man named Aleksey told Reuters he was fleeing to Mongolia, leaving his wife and children behind while the draft was ongoing. Reportedly, he waited in lines at the border for more than twelve hours before he was processed and allowed to proceed.
“We are not afraid, but why do we have to fight in Ukraine, why?” Aleksey told Reuters. “If other countries would attack Russia, we would fight for our country. But why are we going to Ukraine? For what?”
Scroll down to leave a comment and share your thoughts.