Lithuania has not received any request from Slovakia to use its airspace for a flight to Moscow ahead of Russia’s Victory Day celebrations, the Foreign Ministry said, after Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico claimed he was being denied access.
“Lithuania has not received a request from Slovakia or any other country regarding the use of our airspace for a flight to the May 9 parade in Moscow,” ministry spokeswoman Kristina Belikova said in a statement.
However, the ministry stressed that participation by foreign leaders in the event would be inappropriate.
It said Lithuania – which remained under Soviet occupation for nearly five decades after World War Two – views attendance at such events organised by Russian President Vladimir Putin as unjustified, particularly in light of Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine and broader security threats in Europe.
Fico said over the weekend that Lithuania and Latvia would not allow his plane to cross their airspace en route to Moscow. He attended Victory Day commemorations in Russia last year despite calls from European officials to boycott the event.
“I will certainly find another route, as I did last year when Estonia torpedoed us,” Fico said.
Estonia’s foreign minister, Margus Tsahkna, has confirmed that Estonia will again deny airspace access to officials traveling to Moscow for the May 9 parade.
Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, on Monday thanked the Baltic states for their stance.
“Thanks to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania for their principled position on the use of their airspace to strengthen relations with Russia,” Sybiha wrote on social media. “Russia continues its aggressive war against Ukraine, posing a direct threat to European security and the international order.”
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