MOSCOW. Aug 28 (Interfax) - Kyiv shows no interest in resuming flights to and from Russia, the newspaper Izvestia said on Wednesday citing the Russian Foreign Ministry as a source.
"The case of a Russian civilian aircraft, which was allowed to fly over the Ukrainian territory by the Ukrainian aviation authorities on August 9, does not give a reason to think that the Ukrainian government is prepared to establish dialogue on the resumption of flights to and from the Russian Federation," the newspaper quoted the source as saying.
"The decision strictly complied with the norms of the ICAO [International Civil Aviation Organization], since the approaching storm posed a real danger to the lives of passengers and the crew of the aircraft," Izvestia said.
Meanwhile, sources in the State Duma told the newspaper that the flight ban was not Russia's initiative and the decision would have to be made by Kyiv.
"Russia is always ready for dialogue, but it has no intention to push anything on Kyiv. It is Ukraine that should take the first step, considering that the ban on flights between the two countries was its decision," head of the State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration, and Compatriots Leonid Kalashnikov told the newspaper.
In the words of Verkhovna Rada deputy Yevhen Balytsky, new Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky might lift the flight ban, since the anti-Russian policy was losing popularity in Ukraine, Izvestia said.
"Resumption of flights to and from Russia plays a very important role for Ukraine. This is not just about the economy and additional income of our companies. Resumption of flights will also help normalize relations with Russia and search for solutions to the existent problems. Besides, one should understand that the restrictions were a completely silly measure, which complicated lives of thousands of Ukrainian citizens who used to fly to Russia for work or personal reasons," Balytsky told Izvestia.
The Ukrainian government banned transit flights of all Russian airlines in the Ukrainian airspace in November 2015. Flights between Russia and Ukraine were stopped on October 25 following the imposition of bilateral sanctions on airlines.