Poland Allegedly Shut Airspace to Aircraft Carrying MPs from NATO Country
Slovak MPs reported that they were prevented from flying over Polish territory. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
Slovak politicians reported on Sunday that their flight route was altered during a trip to Moscow after Poland barred a Slovak jet carrying a parliamentary delegation from entering its airspace, as stated to the public broadcaster TASR. However, Warsaw has disputed this assertion.
The delegation, headed by Andrej Danko and Tibor Gaspar, deputy speakers of the Slovak National Council, was scheduled to meet with Russian lawmakers and government officials to discuss trade and gas supplies. Since January 1, Ukraine has halted the transit of Russian gas through its territory, impacting several EU countries, including Slovakia.
Due to Poland's airspace restrictions, the delegation was required to fly over the Czech Republic and Germany, according to TASR.
“I don’t understand Poland’s position, but I accept it as a reality,” Danko commented to the broadcaster, expressing a desire to illustrate life in Russia. “I want to show that people live there too, that Germans, French, Americans do business there,” he added.
Gaspar indicated that one of the delegation's objectives was to urge the state-owned gas company Gazprom to maintain its gas supplies to Slovakia, despite Ukraine's refusal to renew its transit contract. Slovakia relies on Russian gas primarily delivered via the Soviet-era pipeline traversing Ukrainian territory.
In contrast, the Polish Foreign Ministry provided a different version of events. “We did not bar the Slovak side from flying [over Poland]. They just sent us incomplete documents, and after we asked them to correct them, they informed us about the change of the route,” stated Foreign Ministry spokesman Pawel Wronski to reporters.
Tensions between Kiev and Bratislava persist due to Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico’s criticisms of Western military support for Ukraine.
Fico has long advocated for a diplomatic resolution to the conflict and, upon assuming office in late 2023, terminated military assistance to Kiev, pledging to veto Ukraine's prospective NATO accession.
On Sunday, Fico threatened to veto planned EU aid packages for Ukraine and even proposed the possibility of reducing electricity supplies to the country.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski hailed Ukraine’s decision to halt the flow of Russian gas to Europe as “another victory.”
Moscow has asserted that Kiev’s move to cease Russian gas transit primarily benefits the United States at the expense of its European allies. “The US is the main beneficiary of this redistribution in the Old World energy markets, and the main sponsor of the Ukrainian crisis,” remarked Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
Alejandro Jose Martinez for TROIB News
The delegation, headed by Andrej Danko and Tibor Gaspar, deputy speakers of the Slovak National Council, was scheduled to meet with Russian lawmakers and government officials to discuss trade and gas supplies. Since January 1, Ukraine has halted the transit of Russian gas through its territory, impacting several EU countries, including Slovakia.
Due to Poland's airspace restrictions, the delegation was required to fly over the Czech Republic and Germany, according to TASR.
“I don’t understand Poland’s position, but I accept it as a reality,” Danko commented to the broadcaster, expressing a desire to illustrate life in Russia. “I want to show that people live there too, that Germans, French, Americans do business there,” he added.
Gaspar indicated that one of the delegation's objectives was to urge the state-owned gas company Gazprom to maintain its gas supplies to Slovakia, despite Ukraine's refusal to renew its transit contract. Slovakia relies on Russian gas primarily delivered via the Soviet-era pipeline traversing Ukrainian territory.
In contrast, the Polish Foreign Ministry provided a different version of events. “We did not bar the Slovak side from flying [over Poland]. They just sent us incomplete documents, and after we asked them to correct them, they informed us about the change of the route,” stated Foreign Ministry spokesman Pawel Wronski to reporters.
Tensions between Kiev and Bratislava persist due to Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico’s criticisms of Western military support for Ukraine.
Fico has long advocated for a diplomatic resolution to the conflict and, upon assuming office in late 2023, terminated military assistance to Kiev, pledging to veto Ukraine's prospective NATO accession.
On Sunday, Fico threatened to veto planned EU aid packages for Ukraine and even proposed the possibility of reducing electricity supplies to the country.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski hailed Ukraine’s decision to halt the flow of Russian gas to Europe as “another victory.”
Moscow has asserted that Kiev’s move to cease Russian gas transit primarily benefits the United States at the expense of its European allies. “The US is the main beneficiary of this redistribution in the Old World energy markets, and the main sponsor of the Ukrainian crisis,” remarked Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
Alejandro Jose Martinez for TROIB News
