Ukraine has decided to terminate air traffic with Belarus, as it cares about the protection of its citizens, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said.
“First of all, in this situation, we certainly care about the protection of our citizens and about the Belarusian authorities to come to their senses, stop their arbitrary behavior and start respecting human rights and international rules,” Kuleba said in a video statement distributed by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry press service on May 25.
At the same time, the minister said this decision will also lead to a certain increase in the profits of Ukraine, because the airlines of the EU and other countries of the world, which previously flew over Belarus and paid relevant funds to its budget, will now fly through Ukraine, and, accordingly, will pay transit funds to Ukraine.
“The authorities of Belarus have crossed another red line in relation not only to their citizens but also to citizens of other countries and to international law, in particular, the rules governing the safety of civil aviation. Surely, such actions cannot remain unanswered, because if now get away with it, then tomorrow Alexander Lukashenko will go further and do something even more impudent and crueler. Therefore, the answer must be very principled,” Kuleba said.
He said that Ukraine analyzed this situation, and the president of Ukraine instructed the government to urgently take all decisions necessary to terminate flights between Ukraine and Belarus.
