European Union bans Russian flights in bid to rein in Putin

The European Union will close its airspace to Russia, attempting to further isolate President Vladimir Putin after he ordered his troops to invade neighboring Ukraine.

The collective action applies to any plane owned, chartered or otherwise controlled by a Russian person, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Sunday in announcing the measure.

“So let me be clear,” she told reporters in Brussels. “Our airspace will be closed to every Russian plane, and that includes the private jets of oligarchs.”

The move is part of an array of measures, from sanctions to flight bans to sending aid to Ukraine, being unfurled by Western nations to punish Putin, pressure those closest to him and persuade him to back down.

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Source: AJOT