A notice about the airspace closure was published on the U.S. Defense Department's NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) website on May 10, as cited by Ukrainian defense news outlet Militarnyi.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov rejected the idea of a 30-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, claiming in an interview with ABC News on May 10 that it would be "an advantage" for Ukraine.
"Our involvement in the war was justifiable, and this belongs to our sovereign rights," North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un said. "I regard this as part of the sacred mission we must execute for our brothers and comrades-in-arms."
"We have a plan B and a plan C. But our focus is plan A, the essence of which is to get everyone's support" for Ukraine's accession, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.
"(T)he presence at the Victory Parade of a country that bombs cities, hospitals, and daycares, and which has caused the deaths and injuries of over a million people over three years, is a shame," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.
"According to the participants of the performances, their goal is to remind the civilized world of the barbaric actions of Moscow, which for many years and decades has systematically violated international law," a source in Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR) told the Kyiv Independent.
"I have great hope that an agreement for a ceasefire in Ukraine will be reached this weekend," German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on May 9, shortly before traveling to Kyiv alongside the leaders of France, Poland, and the U.K.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk will arrive in Kyiv early on May 10.
The United States embassy in Kyiv on May 9 issued a warning that Russia could launch "a potentially significant" attack in the coming days, despite Putin's self-declared Victory Day "truce."
The sanctioned oil tankers have transported over $24 billion in cargo since 2024, according to Downing Street. The U.K. has now sanctioned more shadow fleet vessels than any other country.
Photo for illustrative purposes. A passenger plane approaching Frankfurt Airport, Germany, on April 1, 2024. (Silas Stein / picture alliance via Getty Images)
Lviv’s Danylo Halytskyi International Airport may resume aviation operations as early as April or May, according to an optimistic scenario under government consideration, its general director told Vysokyi Zamok media outlet on March 15.
Other potential dates for reopening Ukraine’s airspace include the summer months.
Five to seven airlines have expressed readiness to begin operations in Lviv within a month of the terminal’s reopening, Tetiana Romanovska, General Director of Lviv Danylo Halytskyi International Airport said, adding that it could serve as a strong symbol of solidarity with Ukraine.
Additionally, the government is considering reopening another airport in western Ukraine's Uzhhorod, located directly on the border with Slovakia and in close proximity to the borders of Hungary and Poland, all of which are NATO member countries.
Romanovska confirmed that airlines such as Wizz Air, Air Baltic, Turkish Airlines, SkyUp, Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa, and LOT are prepared to operate from Lviv once flights resume. "Right now, we are talking about restoring regular flights from Lviv," Romanovska said. "SkyUp will likely take the lead in bringing back charter flights, as they have a well-developed route network in Europe and are ready to resume the same routes from Lviv or another Ukrainian city."
Airlines have already begun preparations. "This year, airline representatives have reached out to us, conducted their audits, and are analyzing the situation. Wizz Air completed its audit last year," Romanovska explained. She added that once a decision to reopen airspace is made, airline teams could arrive and begin operations within three to four days.
"We hope the airport will reopen in the summer period because that’s when aviation traffic is at its highest—during vacations, long daylight hours, and peak travel season," Romanovska said. "But if it happens in April or May, that would be an extremely positive development for us."
Olena Goncharova is the Head of North America desk at The Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a development manager and Canadian correspondent. She first joined the Kyiv Post, Ukraine's oldest English-language newspaper, as a staff writer in January 2012 and became the newspaper’s Canadian correspondent in June 2018. She is based in Edmonton, Alberta. Olena has a master’s degree in publishing and editing from the Institute of Journalism in Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv. Olena was a 2016 Alfred Friendly Press Partners fellow who worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for six months. The program is administered by the University of Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia.
Kateryna Denisova
