U.S. President Donald Trump has acknowledged in private that Russia is difficult to negotiate with because they "want the whole thing," referring to Ukraine, the WSJ reported, citing sources familiar with the comments.
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."
Travellers wait at the check-in counters ahead of their flights at the Boryspil airport some 30 kilimetres outside Kyiv on Feb. 13, 2022. (Sergei Supinsky/AFP via Getty Images)
The Communities and Territories Development Ministry presented in Warsaw a roadmap for partially opening Ukraine's airspace, which has been closed throughout the full-scale invasion, according to a statement by the ministry published on Oct. 30.
Since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine's airspace has been closed to all flights due to the risk of Russian attacks. The Ukrainian government has nonetheless looked for ways to restore the industry during the war.
Deputy Communities and Territories Development Minister Serhii Derkach introduced a step-by-step plan for a partial reopening of the airspace at a conference in Warsaw.
Risk assessments for civil aviation, peculiarities of ensuring air navigation safety, Ukraine's airports' readiness to resume operations, and mechanisms for coordinating civil and military aviation were also discussed.
The ministry did not say which airports would open under the plan. The Kyiv Independent earlier reported in March that three airports were rumored to be in consideration if, and when, the country is able to open its airspace during the war: the western Lviv and Uzhhorod airports and Kyiv’s Boryspil airport.
Besides the ministry, the roadmap was developed with the assistance of the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine, the State Aviation Service, the State Enterprise for Air Traffic Services (Uksatse), the Air Force Command, and the heads of Ukrainian international airports, including Boryspil and Lviv.
"This is the first expert discussion that we expect will help us move forward in creating the conditions for opening the airspace. During the war, our strategic objective is to preserve aviation infrastructure and qualified personnel so that when the time comes, we can resume civilian flights as quickly as possible," said Oleksii Kuleba, the communities and territories development minister.
Mary Elizabeth Madden, economic counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine, emphasized the importance of supporting Ukraine in its efforts to restore civil aviation and the willingness of the U.S. to provide expert and technical assistance.
International airlines, including LOT Polish Airlines, SkyUp Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Wizz Air, and others, also joined the discussion on opening airspace in Ukraine during martial law.
On April 11, 2023, the European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation (Eurocontrol) published a seven-year forecast that included the likelihood of restrictions over Ukrainian airspace remaining in place until 2029.
The State Enterprise for Air Traffic Services said in 2023 that Ukrainian airspace "will reopen after the war ends."
Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
Chris York
