Israel underwrites airlines flying to Russia despite sanctions

Israel was poised Tuesday to extend financial guarantees for its airlines to fly into Russia, raising criticism in Kyiv as most Western airlines boycott Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. A source in Israel's finance ministry who spoke anonymously to freely discuss pending decisions said the office would seek to extend underwriting put in place last week for Israeli airlines flying into Russia that are not eligible for their regular insurance because of current sanctions. The $2b guarantee had been set to expire on March 9. Britain, Canada, the European Union and the United States have suspended flights to Russia and closed their airspace to Russian aircraft as part of sanctions. Russia retaliated, blocking airlines from those countries from flying over its territory. Air links are still open from some countries to and from Russia, including Turkey, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Israeli PM Naftali Bennett has not joined the sanctions as he attempts to balance relations with Kyiv and Moscow. Bennett flew to Moscow on Saturday, breaking the observation of the Sabbath in an effort to mediate between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky. A misunderstanding over Israel's continued flights into Russia caused a diplomatic flap. On Tuesday Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba apologised and corrected himself after tweeting that Israel's national carrier El Al still accepts Russia's Mir payment system. An El Al spokesperson said the airline stopped accepting Mir payments four days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine began.<br/>