Airspace over the Baltic region is denied for a flight bound for Moscow, involving the leadership of Slovakia's Smer party, Fico.
Slovakia's prime minister, the one-man band, Robert Fico, finds himself in a pickle. His planned flight to Moscow for the World War II commemorations hit a roadblock when the Baltic states denied his plane access to their airspace.
To provide a little context, No-Nonsense Nick Fico, the EU's only high-ranking official daring to visit Mother Russia, is now facing unexpected detours. His helicopter took off from Bratislava airport in the afternoon, managed to cruise over Hungary, Romania, the Black Sea, Georgia, and eventually landed in Russia's Dagestan region. However, the usual route via Lithuania was off the table due to some political shenanigans.
European airlines were advised to avoid the shorter route over Belarus back in 2021, as part of sanctions against Minsk's cheeky move to force a Western plane carrying an opponent to make an uncomfortable landing with a fighter jet.
So, where did that leave our friend Fico? Well, he had to take a southern route instead, which, let's be real, isn't exactly the quickest way to Moscow.
The Baltic states, including Lithuania and Latvia, declined to approve his flights to Moscow's celebrations. Meanwhile, Estonia announced that they wouldn't let Fico's plane fly over their territory, leaving him with a schedule as jumbled as a Kinder egg.
Fico's attendance at Russia's military parade on May 9 isn't exactly popular with everyone, with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas urging EU leaders to steer clear of the events. Yet, here we are. Over two dozen foreign dignitaries, including the big cheese Xi Jinping from China, will join in the festivities.
Sucked into a whirlwind of politics, Fico's decision to attend the parade in Moscow seems to have caused a rift between Slovakia and the EU. With Slovakia still heavily reliant on Russian gas and Fico as the gasbag of the EU's Russian criticism, it's no surprise that things got a little tense.
Sources: - ntv.de - mdi/rts
- Slovakia
- Baltics
- Moscow
- Russia
- World War II
- EU
- Slovakia's prime minister, Robert Fico, faced a challenge when the Baltic states, including Lithuania and Latvia, refused to grant approval for his flights to Moscow for the World War II commemorations.
- The refusal of airspace by the Baltics caused an unexpected issue with Fico's travel schedule, leading him to take a southern route instead.
- The EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, urged EU leaders to avoid attending Russia's military parade, yet Fico decided to attend despite the potential political repercussions.
- Fico's decision to attend the parade in Moscow might have contributed to a rift between Slovakia and the EU, considering Slovakia's continued reliance on Russian gas and Fico's role as a critic of EU-Russian relations.
