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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 1 March 2022
EU shuts airspace to Russian airlines, will buy Ukraine arms

By EMILY SCHULTHEIS and tary aid, Turkish officials
LORNE COOK termed Russia's invasion
Associated Press a "war," a categorization
BRUSSELS (AP) — The Euro- that could lead Ankara
pean Union agreed Sun- to close down the Turkish
day to close its airspace straits to Russian warships,
to Russian airlines, spend which Ukraine requested
hundreds of millions of eu- earlier this week. The 1936
ros on buying weapons for Montreux Convention gives
Ukraine and ban some pro- Turkey the right to bar "bel-
Kremlin media outlets in its ligerent states" from using
latest response to Russia's the Dardanelles and the
invasion, EU officials said. Bosporus during wartime
That and Germany's an- but provides an exception
nouncement earlier in the for Black Sea vessels to re-
day that it would almost turn to port.
triple its defense budget On the sanctions front,
this year underscored how Japan joined the United
Russia's invasion of Ukraine States and European na-
was rewriting Europe's post- tions in cutting key Russian
World War II security and banks from the SWIFT inter-
defense policy in ways that national financial bank-
were unthinkable only a ing system. Japan will also
few weeks ago. freeze assets of Putin and
In what he described as "a People rally against Russia's invasion of Ukraine during a protest outside City Hall in Ottawa, On- other top Russian officials,
defining moment for Euro- tario, on Sunday, Feb. 27, 2022. while sending $100 million
pean history," EU foreign Associated Press in emergency humanitar-
policy chief Josep Borrell ian aid to Ukraine, Prime
said that the bloc's 27 for- ($113 billion) to a special It would also supply things budget. Minister Fumio Kishida told
eign ministers had green- armed forces fund and like fuel, protective gear, "It's clear we need to invest reporters.
lighted the unprecedented keep its defense spending helmets and first aid kits. significantly more in the Catholic and Orthodox re-
support for Ukraine and above NATO's target of 2% European Commission Pres- security of our country, in ligious leaders, meanwhile,
that those actions would of GDP. ident Ursula von der Leyen order to protect our free- prayed Sunday for peace,
take effect within hours."We Anti-war protesters, mean- said beyond the weap- dom and our democracy," voiced solidarity with Ukrai-
have decided to use our while, took to the streets in ons purchases, EU nations Scholz told a special session nians and denounced the
capacities to provide le- Berlin, Rome, Prague, Istan- would shut down European of the Bundestag in Berlin. Russian invasion.
thal arms, lethal assistance, bul and elsewhere — even airspace for Russians. Scholz said the 100 billion At the Vatican, Ukrainian
to the Ukrainian army by Russian cities like Moscow "We are proposing a prohi- euro fund ($113 billion) was flags fluttered in St. Peter's
a value of 450 million (eu- and St. Petersburg and in bition on all Russian-owned, currently a one-time mea- Square as Pope Francis de-
ros) ($502 million) … and a dozen Belarusian cities — Russian registered or Rus- sure for 2022. Still, Scholz livered his weekly Sunday
50 more million ($56 million) to demand an end to the sian-controlled aircraft. indicated Germany will ex- blessing and appealed for
for non-lethal supplies, fuel, war, the largest ground of- These aircraft will no more ceed the 2% of GDP thresh- global solidarity for "the suf-
protective equipment," fensive on the continent be able to land in, take off old going forward, signaling fering people of Ukraine."
Borrell told reporters. since WWII. or overfly the territory of the an overall future increase in "Those who make war for-
Borrell said EU defense min- According to the OVD-Info EU," she said. defense spending. get humanity," Francis said.
isters will discuss Monday rights group, Russian po- She said the EU will also A day earlier, Germany He refrained from citing
how to convert the funds lice detained at least 2,063 ban "the Kremlin's media announced another ma- Russia by name, in appar-
into useful military materiel Russians in 48 cities over machine. The state-owned jor policy shift, saying it will ent deference to his hopes
and ensure that it reaches anti-war demonstrations on Russia Today and Sputnik, send weapons and other of keeping dialogue open
the Ukrainian armed forces. Sunday alone.Human rights as well as their subsidiar- supplies directly to Ukraine, with the Russian Orthodox
He said Poland has agreed advocates reported that ies, will no longer be able including 500 Stinger mis- Church.
to act as a hub to distribute more than 170 people had to spread their lies to justify siles, which are used to Also Sunday, the Ecumeni-
the arms and equipment. been arrested in the Be- Putin's war and to sow divi- shoot down helicopters cal Patriarch of Constan-
The EU ministers also agreed larusian protests. In Minsk, sion in our union." and warplanes, and 1,000 tinople described Russia's
to add several more peo- a large pile of flowers kept Von der Leyen added that anti-tank weapons. invasion as "beyond every
ple and organizations to growing in front of Ukraine's the EU will also target Be- Israel announced it was sense of law and morality"
a growing list of sanctions. embassy. larus President Alexander sending 100 tons of hu- and pleaded for an end to
Those included Russian oli- Tens of thousands of people Lukashenko for supporting manitarian aid — medical the war.
garchs whose money, Bor- massed Sunday in front of Russia's military campaign equipment and medicine, Patriarch Bartholomew is
rell said, is important for the Berlin's Brandenburg Gate, in Ukraine. tents, sleeping bags and considered the spiritual
Russian economy, as well with some carrying posters "We will hit Lukashenko's re- blankets — to help civil- leader and first among
as other key officials, no- with slogans such as "Hands gime with a new package ians in Ukraine. Israel also equals of Eastern Ortho-
tably those spreading dis- off Ukraine," "Tanks to Wind- of sanctions," she said. offered itself as a potential dox Christians worldwide.
information. Russian Presi- mills" and "Putin, go to ther- German Chancellor Olaf mediator during a phone He granted the indepen-
dent Vladimir Putin and For- apy and leave Ukraine and Scholz's announcement call between Israeli Prime dence of the Orthodox
eign Minister Sergey Lavrov the world in peace." of new defense funding is Minister Naftali Bennett and Church of Ukraine, which
have already seen their as- The EU's plan to fund weap- hugely significant for Ger- Putin, the Kremlin and Israel severed it in 2019 from the
sets in Europe frozen. ons would help to buy air many, which has come said. Bennett spoke also Russian church to which it
In a separate announce- defense systems, anti-tank under criticism from the Friday with Ukrainian Presi- had been tied since 1686.
ment, Germany's leader weapons, ammunition and United States and other dent Volodymyr Zelenskyy, The Russian Orthodox
said the country would other military equipment NATO allies for not investing who is Jewish. Church severed relations
commit 100 billion euros to Ukraine's armed forces. adequately in its defense As Greece sent more mili- with him as result.q