'Business as usual': Western firms in Ukraine resist calls for expats to leave

euronews.com:

The message from Western businesses operating in Ukraine appears to be very much "business as usual" -- at least for now -- despite intensified warnings from international governments of a potentially imminent Russian invasion.

The renewed alerts follow the latest intelligence assessments of Russian preparations on the Ukrainian border.

Several European governments have advised their nationals living in Ukraine to leave the country, following US President Joe Biden who said last week that US nationals should get out as soon as possible.

But the American Chamber of Commerce says it "continues to operate in Kyiv".

"We are constantly in touch with our members, Ukraine’s government, and the US Embassy. This continuous dialogue and communication have been a strategic pillar of AmCham for the past 30 years in Ukraine," said its president in Ukraine Andy Hunder, in a statement provided to Euronews.

"American Chamber of Commerce member companies continue to operate in Ukraine, contributing to the country’s economy, having already invested over $50 billion (€44.2 billion) in the country, employing people, and contributing to the state budget."

The UK's Foreign Office said on Friday that "British nationals in Ukraine should leave now while commercial means are still available".

Jock Mendoza-Wilson, a British businessman living in Kyiv, says he will leave Ukraine if he believes it necessary to do so, but does not think "we have reached that point yet".

"People talk about the war, the current security situation is the talk of the day. Nonetheless, we'd all rather, and we all as much as possible get on with doing our normal business where that's possible," the director of leading Ukrainian holding company System Capital Management (SCM) told