Russia pushes U.S. to lift aviation sanctions, but EU blocks move

Politico reported the information.

According to the publication, the EU is not interested in lifting aviation sanctions against Russia, and without Europe's participation, it will be difficult for Russian carriers to fly to the United States.

“First, EU sanctions stand firm against Russia, which includes a ban on Russian airlines flying over EU airspace,” said a European Commission official speaking on condition of anonymity.

In addition to political decisions on sanctions, the EU official also pointed to “major safety and security issues” related to the possible opening of EU airspace to Russian aircraft.

According to him, “it is not known if Russian air operators and air traffic services have been properly maintained over the past three years, putting the airworthiness of the Russian fleet seriously in question.”

After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian airline planes were banned from landing and flying over the territory of the EU and the USA.

Additionally, Russia was cut off from access to spare parts for aircraft from Western manufacturers such as Boeing and Airbus.

At the same time, Russia is demanding the resumption of direct flights with the United States as part of any agreement to end hostilities.

In particular, on April 11, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that such a step “should be a consequence of the lifting of sanctions on Aeroflot.”

“The Americans considered it, [but] so far we have not seen any reciprocal step,” the Russian minister said. 

It has also been reported that Russia has asked Washington to allow it to buy planes from the American manufacturer Boeing and pay for them with Russian state assets that have been frozen since the beginning of the war, provided that a ceasefire is reached.

Any moves to ease restrictions on American and Russian carriers will put pressure on European airlines, which have long complained of additional costs due to the need to bypass Russian airspace when flying to Asia. This gives Chinese carriers an advantage.

However, despite these considerations, Brussels is in no hurry to enter into negotiations with Moscow on access to European skies, in particular because of the danger of flying over Russian territory.

A European Commission spokesperson called the security of Russian airspace “problematic,” referring to the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines flight, allegedly after being hit by a Russian air defense missile.

• Bloomberg sources believe that the U.S. is ready to make concessions to Russia and recognize Crimea as Russian as part of a peace agreement.