Ukraine says its skies are safe as airlines suspend flights

Ukrainian officials insisted on Monday that its skies are safe for airlines to conduct scheduled flights amid multiple countries suspending theirs due to the looming potential Russian invasion, Reuters reported. 

During a news conference on Monday, Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said Ukraine International Airlines will begin open tickets and will increase the capacity of aircraft on additional flights to Kyiv and other destinations in Europe. 

“The current cancellation of flights by a number of foreign airlines is dictated solely by the information aggravation of the situation, and not by real changes in flight safety,” Kubrakov said, according to Reuters. 

Kubrakov added that “the state is working to replace canceled flights,” though he did not share the names of the partnering airlines. 

A number of European airlines including Air France, Germany’s Lufthansa, and Scandinavia’s SAS have either suspended or canceled flights to Ukraine amid the growing tensions. 

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Sunday that President Biden has accepted a scheduled meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in an effort to deescalate the situation. 

“As the President has repeatedly made clear, we are committed to pursuing diplomacy until the moment an invasion begins. Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Lavrov are scheduled to meet later this week in Europe, provided Russia does not proceed with military action,” Psaki said in the statement.