EU ambassadors approve Belarus flight ban

EU ambassadors on Friday agreed to ban Belarusian airlines from using EU airspace or airports starting at midnight, two EU diplomats said.

The restrictive measures are the first in a set of sanctions EU leaders have vowed to implement after Belarusian authorities last month intercepted a passenger jet in order to arrest two people onboard — opposition activist Roman Protasevich and his partner Sofia Sapega. The EU is also preparing targeted sanctions against individuals and entities close to Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko’s regime, as well as economic sanctions against Belarusian companies with close government links.

The flight ban’s approval means all EU countries backed the sanctions, which now only need to be formally adopted via written procedure, which is expected to occur within hours, the diplomats said.