U.S. bans Russian aircraft from American airspace

WASHINGTON — US President Joe Biden announced Tuesday (1) that the United States will ban Russian aircraft from flying through U.S. airspace. The announcement came in Biden’s first State of the Union address and came on the heels of similar moves by the European Union and Canada. “We will join our allies in closing off American air space to all Russian flights – further isolating Russia – and adding an additional squeeze –on their economy,” Biden said. The move would prohibit planes that are owned or registered by Russians from flying over the United States, the latest coordinated approach between U.S. and its allies amid the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine. It was not immediately clear how quickly the ban, which was first reported by The Wall Street Journal, will be put in place. Russian President Vladimir Putin previously retaliated against the European ban by canceling flights from European airlines over Russian territory.