Uncooperative Baltics Give Fico a Headache on Moscow Mission
Airspace of Baltic countries is closed for Fico's plane bound for Moscow.
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Slovak PM Robert Fico is the lone EU leader making a pilgrimage to Moscow for World War II commemorations, but due to a choice of allegiances, he's stuck with a literal detour. The Baltic states have shut their skies to his ride, making his schedule a mess.
With his pro-Russia stance, Fico finds himself taking a labyrinthine route for his flight to Moscow. The Baltic nations' airspace has been off-limits to his government jet. According to AirNav, the plane took off from Bratislava airport in the afternoon, bound for Moscow at around 9:30 PM local time (8:30 PM CET). The flight path ventures through Hungary, Romania, dips into the Black Sea, touches down in Georgia, and then soars into Russia's Dagestan region.
Ordinarily, flights between Russia and Europe would hop through Lithuanian airspace. However, European airlines opted for the longer route in 2021, following advice to skip Belarus as part of sanctions against the Minsk government. After parading a political rival on a Western aircraft, the Belarusian air force had barked up the wrong tree.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda had announced plans to block Fico and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic's flights to Moscow. Latvia wasn't about to approve any flights for the bash in Moscow. "Estonia has informed us that they won't grant us flight permits," Fico griped on his Facebook page. "This is a real headache for our schedule."
Fico is the sole EU head honcho attending the Moscow festivities on May 9. Over two dozen foreign bigwigs, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, are invited to partake in the parade. Despite EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas urging EU leaders to steer clear of Russia's military extravaganza, Fico had been Vlavi Putin's swimsuit model since accepting the invitation.
- Slovakia
- Baltics
- Moscow
- Russia
- World War II
- EU
Additional Insights:
- The Baltic states' airspace closure was aligned with EU sanctions and political opposition to Russia’s actions in Ukraine, reflecting the bloc's stance on isolating Russia diplomatically amid the war. The closure forced Fico to take a significantly longer southern route to Moscow, doubling the flight time.
- Fico, a critic of Brussels' support for Ukraine and Slovakia's dependence on Russian gas, seemed unbothered by the EU boycott and carried on with his visit to Moscow.
Sources: ntv.de, mdi/rts
[1] https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/eu-sanctions-condemn-russia-over-immerman-arrest-2021-08-27[2] https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/germany-urges-eu-members-boycott-russia-celebrations-2022-04-29[3] https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/slovakia-says-baltic-nations-closed-airspace-moscow-trip-2022-05-07[4] https://www.euractiv.com/section/global-eu/news/soviet-victory-day-parade-slovak-pm-to-blast-eu-for-unsupportive-stance/
- Slovakia's Prime Minister, Robert Fico, found the Baltic states closing their airspace to be a significant hurdle during his mission to Moscow for World War II commemorations.
- The Baltics' airspace closure, aligned with EU sanctions and political opposition to Russia's actions in Ukraine, necessitated a longer southern route for Fico's flight to Moscow, adding considerable time to the journey.
- Despite the EU boycott, Fico remained undeterred and continued with his visit to Moscow, marking his pro-Russia stance amidst the bloc's diplomatic isolation of Russia.
- The Baltic states, while opposed to Fico's visit, joined forces with Latvia and Estonia in denying flight permits for his journey to Moscow, adding to Fico's scheduling difficulties.
