In another sign of Europe’s deepening divisions, Lithuania and Latvia announced they would deny Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico the use of their airspace to travel to Moscow for Russia’s Victory Day celebrations on May 9. Fico, who attended last year’s commemoration as well, was defiant. “Lithuania and Latvia have already informed us that they will not allow us to fly over their territory on the route to Moscow. So be it,” he said, calling the refusal abnormal behavior between EU member states.
Fico vowed to find an alternate route, framing his trip as a matter of paying respects to the Soviet and allied soldiers who liberated Slovakia from Nazi occupation. For the Baltic states, however, facilitating any high-profile European leader’s journey to Moscow is a step too far amid the ongoing standoff with Russia. The incident underscores how World War II memory politics continue to fracture European solidarity.
