Air Spat! Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia Block Fico & Vucic As Serbia & Slovakian Leaders Head To Russia

In May 2025, as Moscow prepares to mark 80 years since the end of World War II, Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vučić and Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico have ignited diplomatic uproar by attempting high-profile visits to Russia. Defying EU pressure and facing Baltic airspace bans, Vučić rerouted through Azerbaijan to reach Moscow, declaring Serbia’s right to chart its own course and rejecting historical revisionism. Meanwhile, Fico accused Estonia of deliberately blocking his flight to disrupt his Victory Day visit, highlighting rising tensions between EU-aligned nations and leaders seen as sympathetic to Moscow. Victory Day, once a commemoration of wartime unity, has now become a flashpoint of geopolitical division.