As the U.S. prepares to announce a new security assistance package for Ukraine of close to $3 billion, in what would be the largest tranche to Kyiv since the conflict began, the U.S. government is also urging Americans to leave the country.

A U.S. official said they had intelligence that Russia is stepping up its efforts ahead of Ukraine’s Independence Day on Wednesday, and say Americans should leave the country immediately.Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Moscow of a powerful response if Russian forces carried out attacks on or around Ukraine’s Independence Day. 

In some parts of Ukraine, including Kyiv, there are bans on large gatherings and  Independence Day celebrations through Thursday in light of the warnings.Zelenksyy met Tuesday with Poland’s President Andrzej Duda in Kyiv, while Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergei Lavrov met with his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad in Moscow.

The UN nuclear watchdog will visit the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine within days if talks to gain access succeed, it said in a statement on Tuesday.“I’m continuing to consult very actively and intensively with all parties,” the International Atomic Energy Agency’s statement quoted IAEA chief Rafael Grossi as saying. 

“The mission (to Zaporizhzhia) is expected to take place within the next few days if ongoing negotiations succeed.”

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