Germany asks citizens to leave Ukraine ‘urgently’

FILE PHOTO: Russian servicemen drive tanks during military exercises in the Leningrad Region, Russia, in this handout picture released February 14, 2022. Russian Defence Ministry/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

MUNICH — Germany’s foreign ministry said Saturday that German citizens were “urgently requested to leave (Ukraine) now,” as fears mounted that Russia could invade its neighbor in the coming days.

National carrier Lufthansa also said it was suspending regular flights to the cities of Kyiv and Odessa from Monday until the end of February “due to the current situation.”

The airline said it would operate a limited number of flights to the two cities on Saturday and Sunday before pausing the services.

Flights to the western city of Lviv would continue and Lufthansa remained in “close contact with national and international authorities,” it said.

The announcements came as the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was in Munich for the annual Security Conference with the aim of shoring up Western support for the country.

Speaking earlier in the day after a meeting of G7 foreign ministers on the fringes of the conference, Germany’s Annalena Baerbock said the group was “united” in their support for Ukraine.

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