EU bans all Russian planes from airspace and sends weapons to Ukraine

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EU bans all Russian planes

The European Union is closing airspace to all Russian aircraft. The EU also sends arms and ammunition to Ukraine. Furthermore, Russian media that are under the influence of the Russian state are banned from Europe.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced this at a press conference on Sunday afternoon. The European Commission announced new toughened sanctions against not only Russia, but also Belarus.

Russian planes cannot take off from or land at European airports. The aircraft are also not allowed to fly over EU territory on their way to other locations. The measure also applies to private planes of, for example, Russian oligarchs, von der Leyen said.

The EU is allocating €500 million for military aid to the Ukrainian army, which is fighting the Russian invasion force. 450 million euros of this is intended for weapons and ammunition, the rest for “non-lethal” materials such as helmets, fragmentation vests and first aid kits. The EU will continue to coordinate what the Ukrainian army needs and which EU country can and will supply it.

EU bans all Russian planes from airspace and sends weapons to Ukraine

Russian channels banned

According to von der Leyen, it is the first time under her rule that the union has sent weapons and ammunition to a country under attack. EU member states previously sent individual weapons material to Ukraine, but now the organization is also doing so as a whole.

In addition, Russian channels such as Russia Today and Sputnik are banned because they serve as a mouthpiece for the Kremlin. “That way they can no longer spread their propaganda and disinformation,” said von der Leyen.

There will also be a new package of sanctions for “accomplice” Belarus, an ally of the Kremlin and a springboard for the invasion of

EU bans all Russian planes from airspace and sends weapons to UkraineUkraine.

Russia bans planes from EU

Incidentally, many European countries had already announced independently this weekend that they would no longer allow Russian aircraft in their airspace. In addition to the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Italy, Sweden and Finland, among others, announced such a no-fly zone.

Russia has also closed its airspace to many EU countries as a countermeasure. This can have consequences for flights to, for example, Asia.

The Dutch airline KLM reported on Saturday that it would no longer fly to or over Russia for at least a week. Alternatives are being sought for flights that would pass through Russian airspace.

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