EU Leaders Prepare to Punish Belarus for Intercepts Ryanair Flight

EU leaders are preparing to punish Belarus for diverting a Ryanair flight, with the UK banning its national carrier from UK airports and warning airlines to avoid Belarusian airspace. The US has joined the condemnation, with the White House calling the incident a "brazen affront to international peace and security." The EU is exploring a range of possible sanctions, including targeting the business interests of oligarchs who finance the Belarusian regime.

Key Takeaways:

• The EU is considering a range of sanctions against Belarus, including banning its national airline from EU airports, declaring its airspace unsafe, and extending travel bans and asset freezes on regime officials.
• The US, UK, and EU are co-ordinating on a response to the incident, with the White House calling for an "immediate, international, transparent and credible investigation."
• European airlines, including airBaltic and SAS, have stopped using Belarusian airspace, while the UK has warned airlines to avoid the country.
• Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, has instructed his government to ban direct flights from Ukraine to Belarus and prohibit flights from Ukraine over Belarusian airspace.
• Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, has demanded the release of the detained opposition activist, Roman Protasevich, and his partner, Sofia Sapega.
• Franak Viacorka, an aide to Belarus's exiled opposition leader, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, has called for a no-fly zone over Belarus and additional sanctions on the country's lucrative oil and potash sectors.

Statistics:

• 171 passengers were on the Ryanair flight that was diverted to Minsk.
• 27 years is the length of time that Alexander Lukashenko has been in power in Belarus.
• 6 countries are part of the EU's Eastern Partnership program, including Belarus.