Despite talks between Russia and Western countries over the weekend, some airlines have either canceled their flights to Ukraine or diverted them to other destinations over fears of an attack.
Despite talks between Russia and Western countries over the weekend, some airlines have either canceled their flights to Ukraine or diverted them to other destinations over fears of an attack.
Putin and Biden talked on the phone
The White House said, “In a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the weekend for about an hour, US President Joe Biden said that attacking Ukraine would result in massive loss of life and property. Western countries are committed to making diplomatic efforts to end the crisis, but are also prepared for other circumstances.
Is Russia ready to attack?
The talks between the presidents of the two countries came a day after US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan warned in which he said that US intelligence suggests that Russia may attack within a few days. Russia has denied its intention to attack, but has kept more than 100,000 of its troops near the border with Ukraine.
Russian soldiers preparing for war
Not only this, he has also sent soldiers for the exercises in the neighboring country of Belarus. American officials say that Russia has gathered enough military equipment that it (Russia) can attack at any time.
Ukraine flights canceled
Netherlands-based airline KLM has canceled all its flights to Ukraine until further notice. The company gave this information on Saturday. The vulnerability of the Netherlands to threats in Ukrainian airspace stems from the 2014 incident that shot down a Malaysian plane over territory held by Russian-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 people. In which 198 citizens of the Netherlands were involved. Ukrainian special airline Skyup said on Sunday that flights from Madeira in Portugal to Kiev have been diverted to the capital of Moldova, Chisinau.
Serhi Nikiforov, spokesman for Ukraine’s presidential office, said Ukraine had not closed its airspace. “Some airlines are facing difficulties due to volatility in the insurance market,” the infrastructure ministry said. Regarding Putin and Biden’s phone talks, the White House has issued a statement saying, ‘President Biden has made it clear to Putin that America is ready for a diplomatic solution in coordination with our allies, but we will do the same if needed. We are fully prepared for other scenarios as well.
worldwide stir
Putin’s top foreign policy assistant Yuri Ushakov said that although tensions have been rising for months, in recent days “the situation has been pushed to the point of absurdity”. Meanwhile, Canada has closed its embassy in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv and temporarily moved diplomats and embassy personnel to Lviv, in the western part of Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has tried to downplay concerns about the invasion and appealed to his countrymen to live in peace. The US claims that Russia has amassed 100,000 troops on the Ukrainian border and can invade Ukraine at any time, while Russia has dismissed the possibility of any attack.
