NPR

Despite the threat of war, some Americans in Ukraine are staying put

The U.S. government is telling Americans it's "past time" to leave Ukraine. But James Berk, an optician from New Jersey, has a Ukrainian wife and a newborn baby. For now, they're staying put.

American James Berk is an optician from Montclair, N.J. He's now living in Ukraine's capital Kyiv with his Ukrainian wife Anna and their newborn daughter Sophie.

"My job right now is I'm raising raising our daughter. She's under four weeks old and she is, you know, doing what newborns do," said Berk, as his daughter fussed in the background.

So it's a bit hectic in their apartment.

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR1 min read
The Sunday Story: Roy Wood Jr. on the Road to Rickwood
What does a comedian know about baseball? And what can America's oldest baseball field tell us about the civil rights movement?Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama is America's oldest ballpark. It's older than Wrigley Field and Fenway park. But its
NPR2 min read
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, A Hard-liner Who Crushed Dissent, Dies At 63
Iran's ultraconservative president, killed in a helicopter crash, oversaw a crackdown on women's protests and was linked to extrajudicial killings in the 1980s.
NPR3 min read
Sean Combs Apologizes For 'My Actions In That Video' That Appeared To Show An Assault
Without addressing his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura, who is seen in the video being kicked and dragged in 2016, the hip-hop mogul says, "I was disgusted then when I did it. I'm disgusted now."

Related Books & Audiobooks