Lithuania will not allow the leaders of Serbia and Slovakia to cross its airspace on their way to Moscow for Victory Day celebrations, sources confirmed to BNS on Wednesday.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico are the only European leaders planning to attend the May 9 parade in the Russian capital. Fico defied warnings from Brussels not to go.
According to BNS sources, Serbia requires permission to cross Lithuania's airspace, which Lithuanian authorities are not granting.
Meanwhile, Slovakia, an EU member state with an annual permit to cross Lithuania's airspace, does not need additional approval. However, its flight plan and other travel details must be coordinated with Lithuanian authorities, which have no intention of doing so.
Lithuania's Foreign Ministry, Defense Ministry, and other relevant authorities declined to comment.
The Kremlin says 29 foreign leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, will attend the May 9 parade in Moscow.
'Flight safety'
Later on Wednesday, President Gitanas Nausėda said the decision was based on safety concerns.
He said Russia’s ongoing GPS “spoofing, jamming, and all other things that go along with cyber interference” were affecting aviation safety, adding that any potential safety incident “could be used for a possible provocation.”
"Therefore, with the safety of our people – and of anyone traveling through Lithuania, including heads of state – being our top priority, we made this decision," Nausėda added.
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