U.S. State Department: Closing Air Space to Lavrov’s Plane Were Sovereign Decisions of Three Sovereign Countries

Ned Price, State Department spokesperson/Screenshot Youtube

Montenegro, Bulgaria and North Macedonia, as sovereign states, had made sovereign decisions to close their air space to a plane of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who then canceled a planned visit to Serbia, U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in the evening on June 6.

Speaking at a press briefing. Price also said that Washington “urges Serbia to focus on its stated goal of EU membership, including aligning its foreign and security policies with the rest of Europe.”  

Asked to comment on Serbia president’s (Aleksandar Vucic) decision to host Lavrov and also Serbia’s refusal to implement EU sanctions against Russia, Price replied that “we have consistently urged Serbia to take steps that advance its European path, including diversifying its energy sources, to reduce energy dependence on the Russian Federation, and aligning its foreign and security policies with the EU.”

“We have sought and we continue to seek to be a partner to Serbia to assist in its efforts to enhance its energy security for the long term,” Price added.