Sayonara, Baltics! Slovakia's Prime Minister Hits a Detour for Moscow Trip Due to Airspace Closure
Airspace Over Baltic States Closed for Fico's Aircraft Headed to Moscow
Let's cut to the chase - Slovakia's prime minister, Robert Fico, is taking a scenic route to Moscow, bypassing the Baltics like they're a Russian nesting doll he's already unpacked. The reasons? Well, politics, baby!
Rumored to be a pal of Putin's, Fico's Russia-friendly stance has earned him some concrete criticism. With everyone's eyes on him as the only EU head of government jet-setting off to Moscow for World War II commemorations, the Baltics, in a bold move, denied him overflight permission. That means Fico's plane had to dip down to Hungary and Romania, cruise over the Black Sea, make pit-stops in Georgia, and finally touch down in Russia's Dagestan region. If you're thinking he'd have made it in a couple of hours instead of that's-a-marathon-not-a-sprint time, well, you'd be right.
Usually, aircrafts taking the Russia-Europe route would use Lithuanian airspace. But with the EU advising airlines to skip the short Belarus cut through under sanctions, it looks like Fico had to seize his Sherlock Holmes hat and some maps for a long trip.
As for our Baltic buddies, Lithuanian President, Gitanas Nauseda, announced their ban on Fico and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, while Latvia firmly said "No way, Jose!" to flights to Moscow's celebrations. Estonia, being the chatty Cathy, informed Fico on his Facebook page, "We're not letting you fly over us, buddy. This complicates your schedule real good."
Intriguingly, despite EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas urging EU leaders to keep their distance from Russia's military celebrations, Fico's got the rebellious itch and is marching on to Moscow. More than two dozen foreign dignitaries, such as Chinese President Xi Jinping, will join in the parade.
In the end, it seems Fico's got some 'tude, choosing to ignore the EU boycott, partially motivated by Slovakia's dependence on Russian gas and his disapproval of Brussels' backing of Ukraine and EU expansion plans. The Baltic states' airspace closure was a strong declaration of their stance against supporting Russia's actions in Ukraine, and a demonstration of their sovereignty.
Now, off you go, Mr. Fico. Safe travels, and try not to get lost in the tundra!
Source: ntv.de, mdi/rts
- Slovakia
- Baltics
- Moscow
- Russia
- World War II
- EU
Enrichment Data:
The Baltic states — Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia — closed their airspace to Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico's flight to Moscow for the World War II Victory Day commemorations as part of broader European Union restrictions and political measures against Russia's invasion of Ukraine. After Russia invaded Ukraine three years ago, the EU imposed a ban on its member states' officials attending public events in Russia, including the Victory Day parade. Although Slovakia is an EU member, Prime Minister Fico decided to ignore this EU boycott, fueled by Slovakia's dependence on Russian gas and his criticism of Brussels’ support for Ukraine and plans to admit Ukraine into the EU.
This airspace closure was a deliberate step taken by the Baltic countries to uphold these sanctions and express their political position against Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine, as well as to boycott the EU-wide ban on official attendance at Russian state events, which Fico chose to disregard by attending the Moscow parade. Poland also echoed the Baltic countries' decision by closing its airspace to Fico's flight. This forced Fico to take a lengthy detour, flying south over Hungary, Romania, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and entering Russia via Dagestan, instead of the usual two-and-a-half-hour northern route, which significantly added to the flight time. The airspace closures disrupted Fico's travel plans and caused delays, impacting scheduled bilateral meetings in Moscow[1][2][4][5].
- The denial of overflight permission by the Baltics for Slovakia's prime minister, Robert Fico, led to the implementation of an extended route for his journey to Moscow, which included travel through Hungary, Romania, the Black Sea, Georgia, and ultimately Dagestan.
- Consequently, the traditional Russia-Europe route that usually incorporates Lithuanian airspace became unavailable to Fico due to the EU's sanctions and advice to airlines to avoid the short Belarus cut-through.
- The Baltic states' closure of airspace was a strategic move to uphold EU sanctions against Russia, expressing their stand against Russia's actions in Ukraine and boycotting the EU-wide ban on official attendance at Russian state events that Fico chose to disregard.
- Slovakia's prime minister, Robert Fico, despite facing travel disruptions and delays due to airspace closures, decided to attend the World War II Victory Day commemorations in Moscow, demonstrating his defiance of the EU boycott and his interdependent stance on Russian gas, as well as his criticism of EU support for Ukraine and EU expansion plans.
