An EU-wide ban on Russian flights could be part of fresh sanctions, report says

• The European Union could ban Russian flights from its airspace, in a bid to impose newer sanctions.
• An official told Reuters that the potential move may be discussed on Sunday.

A European-wide ban for Russian flights could be part of newer sanctions, an EU official told Reuters.

In recent days, various European countries have already banned some or all Russian carriers from their airspace. These include Estonia, Romania, Poland, Moldova, and the Czech Republic.

On Friday, a flight tracker map showed the airspace above Ukraine empty as Russia invaded Ukraine.

In her opening remarks at a conference on Thursday, EU's President Ursula von der Leyen said EU leaders were fully aligned in condemning the "atrocious and unprovoked attacks."

Referring to the sanctions approved by the bloc, she said: "We ban the sale of all aircraft, spare parts, and equipment to Russian airlines. This will degrade the key sector of Russia's economy and the country's connectivity."

She added: "Three-quarters of Russia's current commercial air fleet was built in the European Union, the US, and Canada. And therefore, they are massively dependent on that."

According to Reuters' source, newer sanctions on Moscow could be discussed on Sunday with all the EU's foreign ministers.

Western allies announced a range of restrictive measures targeting Russia on Saturday.