it will do so simultaneously with Latvia and Estonia
“It simply came to our notice then. The Ministry of Transport is now submitting to the Government the text of a specific decision on the closure of Russian airspace, which is being finalized with Latvia and Estonia. To make the decisions a little more coordinated and made at the same time, ”the minister said on Saturday at the BNS.
The government plans to take a decision on closing the airspace on Saturday.
According to the Minister of Transport and Communications, neither Estonia nor Latvia has closed the airspace yet: “We want to do it at the same time, having assessed all the legal requirements on the spot.”
According to BNS sources, decision-making in Lithuania is hampered by specific legal regulations related to the Königsberg region.
Latvia and Estonia announced the decision to close the airspace a few days earlier on Saturday.
Russia, which has mobilized hundreds of thousands of troops, invaded Ukraine on Thursday, launching a large-scale military operation across the country and reaching the capital, Kiev.
Latvia and Estonia have announced earlier
While Lithuania announced its deliberations, Estonia and Latvia announced that they had decided to close their airspace to Russian airlines.
“Estonia is joining the Polish initiative and banning all Russian airlines from using our airspace,” Taavi Aas, the minister for economics and infrastructure, told the broadcaster’s ERR portal on Saturday.
“We are preparing a proposal in accordance with the relevant decision … According to it, it is planned to close Estonian airspace to Russian airlines. “I invite our colleague in the Baltics to make room to cut Russia off from European air,” Aas added.
Latvian Justice Minister Janis Bordan has issued a similar decision. Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė told reporters on Saturday that Vilnius was also considering a similar step.
Czech Republic, Poland and Bulgaria have notified Russian airlines of airspace closures.