State Department confirms deaths of 2 US citizens in Ukraine

(NewsNation) — Two U.S. citizens have died in the Donbas region of Ukraine, the State Department announced Saturday.

“We are in touch with the families and providing all possible consular assistance,” a State Department spokesperson said in a statement to NewsNation. “Out of respect to the families during this difficult time, we have nothing further to add.”

President Joe Biden has made it clear that he does not want U.S. troops fighting the war that broke out after Russia invaded Ukraine in February. But in the aftermath of the invasion, about 4,000 Americans expressed interest in joining the International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine, formed shortly after the invasion, The Washington Post reported.

At least two other Americans are believed to have died in the conflict so far. Willy Joseph Cancel, a 22-year-old former Marine from Tennessee was killed in April, while the State Department confirmed Stephen Zabielski’s death in June.