European airlines have announced in the last day that flights in Ukraine’s airspace will be suspended starting tomorrow (Monday), for fear of an imminent Russian attack this week that would endanger the country’s airline. Dutch company KLM and Irish company Skyup were among the first to announce the move, but more companies may join. Ukraine itself said these were “unnecessary” moves and announced that its airspace would remain open, but warned commercial aircraft of flying over the Black Sea region, where a Russian naval exercise is currently underway.
The reason for the great sensitivity of the Dutch airline is the crash of the Malaysia Airlines flight, after it was intercepted by an anti-aircraft missile launched by the pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine in July 2014. 198 of the 298 passengers and crew were Dutch. They were all killed in the crash. According to reports from Ukraine, the German airline Lufthansa is also considering a delay in flights. The German company said that no decision had yet been made on the matter.
“We do not cut back on sanctions”
Russia’s ambassador to Sweden caused a stir today when in a videotaped interview with a local newspaper he said: “Forgive me for the phrase, but we do not put a dent in the sanctions.” The ambassador said that the sanctions already imposed on Russia following the Crimean annexation had only “improved the economic situation of the country and especially of agriculture”. He made the remarks in response to Western threats of “crippling” sanctions if Moscow invades Ukraine. He again denied Russia’s intention to invade Ukraine.
Tonight, US President Joe Biden spoke with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zalansky, after speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday. The call lasted about 50 minutes, according to the White House. A statement issued after the meeting said that “the two leaders agreed that deterrence and diplomacy should be used in response to the concentration of Russian forces on Ukraine’s borders with Russia and Belarus.”
Whoever will try to calm the winds through diplomacy at the last minute is German Chancellor Olaf Schultz, who will visit Kiev tomorrow for talks with Zalansky and travel on Tuesday for a crucial meeting with Russian President Putin. Germany maintains good trade and political ties with Russia, compared to other countries in the West, but Schultz has pledged in recent weeks to “act in complete coordination” with the Americans and other allies on possible sanctions. Germany refuses to sell arms to Ukraine, however, and has so far contented itself with financial assistance and sending protective helmets. Lithuania, which pursues an anti-Russian policy, has announced that it has shipped anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine.
Before embarking on the skipping campaign between Kiev and Moscow, Schultz said that everyone must understand that “we are facing a very, very serious threat to peace in Europe.” In Germany today, Frank Walter Steinmeier was elected to a second term as president, and in a speech he addressed Putin directly, calling on him to “remove the choke loop from Ukraine’s neck.”