RT.com
08 May 2025, 18:40 GMT+10
Estonia's actions are "extremely disruptive," Robert Fico has said
Slovak Prime Minister Rober Fico has accused the government of fellow EU member-state Estonia of trying to thwart his visit to Moscow for the Victory Day parade on May 9. The event marks the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany by the Soviet Union.
Estonia closed its airspace to Fico's plane on Wednesday. The Baltic state's foreign minister, Margus Tsahkna, claimed that "Russia is a country that launched and continues a war in Europe" and "participation in propaganda events organized by them should be ruled out" for EU representatives.
"Estonia informed us that it will not allow us to fly over its territory despite the fact that Slovakia has a year-round permit to use Estonian airspace for our government wing," Fico said in a video-message on Facebook later in the day.
He described the actions by the Estonian government as "a deliberate attempt to thwart my visit to Moscow on the occasion of the official celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War."
The airspace closure is "extremely disruptive," Fico said, adding that it could prevent him from taking part in the celebratory events in Moscow scheduled for Thursday evening.
According to the prime minister, the government in Bratislava is looking for an "alternative route" for him to be able to arrive in the Russian capital before the wreath-laying ceremony and the parade on Friday.
The vice speaker of the Russian parliament's upper chamber, Konstantin Kosachev, told Argumenty I Fakty newspaper on Thursday that the closure of the Estonian airspace for Fico was a "hostile" move by Tallinn aimed against Russia and its partners.
According to Kosachev, the Baltic nations have not come to terms with the results of the Second World War, and for them, "May 9 is not a day of victory, but a day of defeat."
READ MORE: Slovak PM pledges to defy 'unacceptable' Zelensky threats
Earlier, Latvia and Lithuania denied their airspace to the plane of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who was also among the world leaders heading to the Victory Day parade. Vucic was forced to fly through Bulgaria, Trkiye, Azerbaijan and Georgia in order to make it to Moscow on Wednesday.
Get a daily dose of Afghanistan Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Afghanistan Sun.
More InformationBOISE, Idaho: Seven people died, and eight were hurt when a van carrying tourists crashed into a pickup truck and caught fire near...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The U.S. State Department has approved a potential US$3.5 billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia, including AIM-120C-8...
GAZA STRIP - From Tuesday night to dawn on Wednesday, Israel Air Force pilots were responsible for the ending of at least forty-nine...
BRUSSELS, Belgium: Tesla's sales in Europe nosedived in April, with sharp drops across multiple countries, including an 81 percent...
AUSTIN, Texas: Over the weekend, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a new law that will let more than five million students use state...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The U.S. Transportation Department says it is working to fix a significant shortage of air traffic controllers by...
(Athens, May 8, 2025) - Greece faces a media freedom crisis as a result of actions and failures by the Greek government, threatening...
Estonia's actions are extremely disruptive, Robert Fico has said Slovak Prime Minister...
SHARJAH, 8th May, 2025 (WAM) -- A five-member delegation of outstanding taekwondo athletes from Sharjah clubs has departed the UAE...
New Delhi [India], May 8 (ANI): The Senior India Women's National Team will play two FIFA Women's International Friendly matches against...
Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], May 8 (ANI): Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Thursday said that China 'did not take much of...
Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], May 8 (ANI): Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) spinner Varun Chakravarthy completed 100 wickets in his Indian...