Building up Russian troops on the eastern border is at the top of the agenda, the prime minister said during his weekly press conference. He called the situation “very worrying”. The visit to Ukraine was already planned, and will also include the aftermath of the downing of MH17.
Airlines have avoided that area, including KLM, since flight MH17 was shot down with a missile over conflict zone in eastern Ukraine in 2014. Commercial flights over eastern Ukraine and Crimea are still banned. Hundreds of people were killed in the downing of Malaysia Airlines MH17, most of them Dutch.
The Netherlands is prepared, subject to certain conditions, to provide military means with which Ukraine can defend itself if the Russians invade the country. It is not yet possible to say exactly what that support will look like, according to Rutte. No decision has yet been made about this before the visit.
Rutte thinks it is especially important to show that the West, including the European Union and NATO, are “doing everything they can to contribute to de-escalation”, he said during the weekly press conference. The government in Moscow is said to be aware that the European Union is “united”. “A small or big step in Ukraine” will trigger a response that will also hurt the Russian economy. After his visit to Kiev, Rutte and Hoekstra travel on to Moldova.
KLM no longer allows staff to stay overnight in Kiev, but still flies to Ukraine
KLM no longer allows staff to stay overnight in the Ukrainian capital Kiev because of the unrest in the country due to the increased tensions with neighboring Russia. Staff will fly back immediately. The airline has recently decided to do so, a spokeswoman said after questions from the ANP. KLM still flies to Ukraine.
KLM says it monitors and assesses the situation in Ukraine on a daily basis. The safety of passengers and employees always comes first, according to the company. “Choosing safe and optimal routes is an integral part of our daily practice.”
KLM uses a safety system to analyze risks and determine safe flight routes. For this analysis, KLM uses information shared in an expert group in the Netherlands. This includes all Dutch airlines, intelligence services and various ministries. “The moment at which it is decided not to fly over or to a certain country is based on the most current analyzes at that time,” KLM said.
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