Latvia and Lithuania have not allowed Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico’s plane to use their airspace to travel to the May 9 celebrations in Moscow, reports the Slovak portal “SME”, referring to a video address by Fico himself.
“Lithuania and Latvia have already informed us that they will not allow the flight to Moscow to cross their territory,” Fico said in a video posted on Facebook.
“Why do European Union (EU) member states not allow the prime minister of another EU member state to fly over their territories?” the Slovak prime minister said.
“I will definitely find another route, like I did last year when we were torpedoed by Estonia,” added Fico, who is known for his friendly relations with the Kremlin.
According to Estonia’s ERR News, Latvia’s northern neighbour will also refuse any request by Fico for his day trip to Moscow.
It has already been reported that last year, the Baltic states also did not allow foreign officials’ planes to pass through their airspace on their way to Moscow, where the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II is celebrated on May 9. Fico was forced to take a long detour last year, flying over Hungary, Romania and the Black Sea. The planned flight route of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić’s plane also had to be changed.
Fico and his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orbán, who will step down as prime minister in May after defeat in parliamentary elections, are Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s closest allies among EU leaders.