EU shuts airspace to Russian airlines, will buy Ukraine arms

By EMILY SCHULTHEIS and LORNE COOK
Associated Press

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union is closing its airspace to Russian airlines, spending hundreds of million of dollars to supply weapons to Ukraine and is banning some pro-Kremlin media outlets in response to Russia’s invasion. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Sunday that the bloc’s foreign ministers agreed to spend more than $500 million dollars on buying arms for Ukraine, including air defense systems and anti—tank weapons. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says the EU is also banning “all Russian-owned, Russian registered or Russian-controlled aircraft.” The shift underscores how Russia’s war on Ukraine is rewriting Europe’s post-World War II security policies in ways that were unthinkable just weeks ago.