Turkey’s Defence Ministry aircraft stuck in Kyiv airport since start of war due to closure of airspace return from Ukraine

Two transport aircraft belonging to the Ministry of Defence of Turkey left the Kyiv airport yesterday, 20 December, BBC News Russian reports.

According to the BBC correspondent in Kyiv, the Turkish ministry announced in a Facebook post that two A400M aircraft, which had flown to Ukraine to provide humanitarian aid and evacuate Turkish citizens and then had remained in the country due to the closure of airspace, departed from the [Kyiv region city] Boryspil airport.

The aircraft could not depart Boryspil starting from 24 February and only took off on 20 December, BBC News Russian adds. The Turkish Defence Ministry later reported that the aircraft had already arrived at a base in the city of Kayseri.

Regular flights to Ukraine were suspended even before 24 February; since then, the majority of transportation into the country is carried out through the west land border.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has not left the country since the start of the war. His first visit abroad is planned for today: Ukraine’s leader is set to meet the US President Joe Biden and then address the US Congress.