The Ukrainian government vowed, on Sunday, to leave its airspace open despite the threat of a possible Russian invasion, and the United States saw that the increased possibility of a Russian invasion justified the reduction of its embassy staff in Kiev, and many countries proceeded to complete the withdrawal of their diplomatic staff from Kiev.
Airspace is open
“The airspace over Ukraine remains open, while the authorities are working to ward off risks for airlines,” the Ukrainian Ministry of Infrastructure said in a statement, stressing that closing the airspace is Ukraine’s sovereign right, and no decision has been taken in this regard.
“The most important point is that Ukraine itself sees no point in closing the airspace,” said Mikhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the Ukrainian president’s chief of staff. This is nonsense. In my opinion, it resembles a kind of partial siege.”
Partial stopover of flights
The Dutch airline, KLM, said on Saturday that it would stop its flights to Ukraine immediately, while the Ukrainian airline, SkyUp, said on Sunday that it had to divert one of its flights following the owner of the charter plane prevented the flight from leaving the country. entry into Ukrainian airspace.
Withdrawal of the American military
The US Department of Defense (Pentagon) said that regarding 150 US National Guard soldiers in Florida, who are stationed in Ukraine to help train Ukrainian forces, will leave the country as the threat of a Russian invasion increases. The decision of the State Department to withdraw some employees from the US Embassy in Kiev.
“The repositioning of forces does not signal a change in our determination to support the Ukrainian armed forces, but it will provide flexibility in reassuring allies and deterring aggression,” Kirby said in a written statement.
More countries
The prospect of Western citizens rushing to leave Ukraine prompted the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry to ask citizens to remain calm.
“Now, the biggest enemy of the people is panic,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, during an inspection visit to the troops deployed near the Crimean peninsula.
Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Sweden joined France, Germany and the Netherlands, which have urged their citizens to leave Ukraine.
On Sunday, Australia said it had begun evacuating its embassy in Kiev in light of the rapidly deteriorating situation on the Russian-Ukrainian border.
Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said in a statement that embassy staff in Kiev had been instructed to move to a temporary office in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, regarding 70 kilometers from the border with Poland.
The Swedish government said that Swedish citizens should leave Ukraine as soon as possible.
Canada announced the temporary closure of its embassy in Kiev and the transfer of its activities to an office in Lviv, in the west of the country.
The French Foreign Ministry advised its citizens not to travel to Ukraine, without recommending its nationals there to leave it. (agencies)
