Russia says ban on Lavrov's plane a 'hostile action'

The Kremlin on Monday said airspace closures by three eastern European countries which prevented Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov from traveling to Serbia were a "hostile action." Countries surrounding Serbia - Bulgaria, North Macedonia, and Montenegro - closed their airspace to an official plane that would have carried Moscow's top diplomat to Belgrade on Monday.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters such actions could cause problems with the timetabling of high-level diplomatic meetings. But they would not prevent Moscow from maintaining contacts with friendly countries, he said.