World closes its airspace for Russia over Ukraine invasion

Greece on Monday joined a number of European nations in closing its airspace for all Russian aircraft in line with a European Union decision.

Europe and Canada moved on Sunday to shut their airspace to Russian aircraft, an unprecedented step aimed at pressuring President Vladimir Putin to end his invasion of Ukraine, the biggest attack on a European state since World War Two.

Aeroflot said it would cancel all flights to European destinations after E.U. Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell said the European Union had decided to close its airspace to Russian traffic.

The United States is considering similar action, but has yet to make a final decision, according to U.S. officials. The U.S. government said citizens should consider leaving Russia immediately on commercial flights, citing an increasing number of airlines canceling flights as countries closed their airspace to Russia.

The ban on Russian jets comes as the airline industry continues to grapple with the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic that is still undermining global demand for travel.

Germany, Spain and France joined Britain, the Nordics and the Baltic states in declaring bans on Russian use of their airspace, a major escalation in a tactic by mostly NATO allies to wage economic war against Putin in retaliation for the invasion.

Russia-Ukraine | Talks take place at Belarus border, amid skepticism, mention of nuclear weapons: