Ukraine is pushing the European Union (EU) to close its airspace to Russian and Belarusian nationals, the country’s Prime Minister Denis Shmigal said according to the news outlet Unian. Shmigal claimed the goal of doing so would be to disrupt Moscow’s logistics while causing discomfort to Russian tourists.
“Our idea is that Russian businesses and Russian tourists shouldn’t be able to comfortably use the EU’s airspace,” said Shmigal. “We have discussed with partners the closure of transit for any flights to Russia and from Russia.”
Following Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, governments in the US, Britain, Canada and Europe banned Russian aircraft from flying over their airspace.
The EU, US and other allies of Ukraine have also put in place sanctions affecting Russian carriers' ability to purchase new jets and spare parts for Western-made aircrafts already in use. Russian President Vladimir Putin in turn banned the US and Ukrainian allies from flying over Russian skies.
US airlines have begun a lobbying campaign on Capitol Hill to address their major loss in business to foreign competitors who are able to transport passengers between the US and Asia more quickly and cheaply.